Podcasts about Belize

Shelly has been a believer in Yeshua for many years and has been to Israel four times. She has traveled through Guatemala, Belize, Panama, Costa Rica, Tahiti, Jordan, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Honduras and spent ten years teaching Science and Mathematics to Yupik, Cupik, and Inupiaq students in three very remote villages of Alaska. Many of her students became strong believers and have gone on to lead others to Yeshua.  Currently Shelly lives in Kent, Ohio with her mother and she still teaches Science and occasionally substitute teaches. 

Trump meets with Italy's Meloni amid trade tensions, Canada's party leaders trade barbs in their final election debate, The US threatens to walk away from Russia-Ukraine peace talks, US strikes on Yemen kill dozens, Iran celebrates its annual Army Day with military parades, The Menendez brothers' resentencing is delayed, An American is fatally shot after hijacking a plane in Belize, U.S. Sen. Van Hollen meets with a deported Maryland man in El Salvador, Medical cannabis shows promise in treating cancer, and NASA finds carbonate minerals on Mars. Sources: www.verity.news

Marc & Kim bring the heat with RFK Jr.'s autism comments sparking backlash, while Senator Van Hollen draws fire for posing with an MS-13 member wearing a Chiefs hat. The Pentagon drops “diversity is our strength” and pivots back to merit, earning praise from Pete Hegseth. Real or Fake News champ Ethan Bright returns as guest DJ—though his heavy metal intro splits the room. Marc recaps his bourbon night with NHL great Ed Belfour, while the crew mocks the media hype over an all-woman Blue Origin crew. In “Kim on a Whim,” a Belize plane hijacking shocks St. Louis with ties to a former local coach turned alleged attacker. Plus, Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni hits the White House with a Trumpian message, and Marc reminisces about American heroes in WWII.

Marc & Kim start Good Friday with donuts and a takedown of RFK Jr. critics before slamming a photo-op featuring a U.S. Senator and an MS-13 thug. They dig into the Pentagon dropping “diversity is our strength,” the cancer risk from CT scans, and Macadoodles bourbon with NHL great Ed Belfour. Kim covers a Belize plane hijacking tied to a former St. Louis coach, while the team hypes up the Guns & Hoses raffle. They roast space tourists, discuss vaccine custody battles, and talk Ukraine and El Salvador with Jim Carafano. Rep. Eric Burlison delivers blunt Capitol Hill insights, and Jonathan Serrie breaks down the alarming CT scan study. The real headline: longtime producer Carl Middleman says goodbye after decades in radio. Tributes pour in as the team relives his best moments, shares laughs, and gives Carl one final salute—with Real or Fake returning Monday for his curtain call.

Marc & Kim dive into the jaw-dropping story of Aquinula Aquinula Taylor, a former assistant football coach at McClure North High and Hazelwood teacher, who reportedly hijacked a small plane in Belize, stabbed the pilot and passengers, and was ultimately shot and killed by another passenger after a chaotic two-hour ordeal. With deep St. Louis connections, the alleged hijacker's family is left stunned and searching for answers. The plane, flying with 14 passengers and two crew, miraculously landed safely despite the violence. Marc, Kim, and Carl reflect on post-9/11 airline security, mental illness, and the chilling reality of in-air emergencies.

Thanks Donna for selecting today's drug name! She left a voicemail asking for pronunciation help via the contact page on my website https://www.thepharmacistsvoice.com.   In this episode, I divide Myrbetriq and mirabegron into syllables, tell you which syllables to emphasize, and share my sources. Written pronunciations are helpful! They are below and in the show notes on www.thepharmacistsvoice.com/podcast (select episode 326).    Myrbetriq = meer-BEH-trick Meer, like a mirror BEH, like Belize (a country in Central America)  Trick, like “Trick or Treat” Emphasize the middle syllable - BEH Sources: (1) Prescribing Information for Myrbetriq (patient information section) on the FDA's website, (2) ispot.tv, and (3) Myrbetriq's website https://www.myrbetriq.com/    Mirabegron = MIR-a-BEG-ron MIR, like a mirror A, which is a short “A” sound (uh) BEG, like a dog begs for a treat Ron, like Ron Weasley (Harry Potter's friend) Emphasize MIR and BEG. BEG gets the most emphasis.  Sources: MedlinePlus and the USP Dictionary Online    If you know someone who would like to learn how to say Myrbetriq or mirabegron, please share this episode with them. Subscribe for all future episodes. This podcast is on all major podcast players and YouTube. Popular links are below. ⬇️   Apple Podcasts   https://apple.co/42yqXOG  Spotify  https://spoti.fi/3qAk3uY  Amazon/Audible  https://adbl.co/43tM45P YouTube https://bit.ly/43Rnrjt   Recommend a drug name for this series via email: kim@thepharmacistsvoice.com or leave a voicemail message for me through the contact tab on my website https://www.thepharmacistsvoice.com.   ⭐️ Sign up for The Pharmacist's Voice ® monthly email newsletter! https://bit.ly/3AHJIaF   Host Background: Kim Newlove has been an Ohio pharmacist since 2001 (BS Pharm, Chem Minor). Her experience includes hospital, retail, compounding, and behavioral health. She is also an author, voice actor (medical narrator and audiobook narrator), podcast host, and consultant (audio production and podcasting).    Links from this episode  Prescribing information for Myrbetriq on FDA's website. (Accessed 4-17-25)  Myrbetriq commercial (ispot.tv) https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wcLD/myrbetriq-enough-is-enough Myrbetriq's website https://www.myrbetriq.com/ Mirabegron on MedlinePlus (accessed 4-17-25) https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a612038.html USP Dictionary Online (Subscription-based resource)  USP Dictionary's pronunciation guide (Free resource, American Medical Association's website)  The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 324, Pronunciation Series Episode 52 (liraglutide)  The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 322, Pronunciation Series Episode 51 (ketamine) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 320, Pronunciation Series Episode 50 (Jantoven) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 318, Pronunciation Series Episode 49 (ipratropium) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 316, Pronunciation Series Episode 48 (hyoscyamine) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 313, Pronunciation Series Episode 47 (guaifenesin) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 311, Pronunciation Series Episode 46 (fluticasone) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 309, Pronunciation Series Episode 45 (empagliflozin) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 307, Pronunciation Series Episode 44 (dapagliflozin) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 304, Pronunciation Series Episode 43 (cetirizine)  The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 302, Pronunciation Series Episode 42 (buspirone)  The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 301, Pronunciation Series Episode 41 (azithromycin) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 298, Pronunciation Series Episode 40 (umeclidinium) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 296, Pronunciation Series Episode 39 (Januvia)  The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 294, Pronunciation Series Episode 38 (Yasmin) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 292, Pronunciation Series Episode 37 (Xanax, alprazolam) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 290, Pronunciation Series Episode 36 (quetiapine)  The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 287, pronunciation series ep 35 (bupropion) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 285, pronunciation series ep 34 (fentanyl) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Ep 281, Pronunciation Series Ep 33 levothyroxine (Synthroid) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast Ep 278, Pronunciation Series Ep 32 ondansetron (Zofran) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast Episode 276, pronunciation series episode 31 (tocilizumab-aazg) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast Episode 274, pronunciation series episode 30 (citalopram and escitalopram) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast Episode 272, pronunciation series episode 29 (losartan) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 269, pronunciation series episode 28 (tirzepatide) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 267, pronunciation series episode 27 (atorvastatin)  The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 265, pronunciation series episode 26 (omeprazole) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 263, pronunciation series episode 25 (PDE-5 inhibitors) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast Episode 259, pronunciation series episode 24 (ketorolac) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 254, pronunciation series episode 23 (Paxlovid) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 250, pronunciation series episode 22 (metformin/Glucophage) The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast ® episode 245, pronunciation series episode 21 (naltrexone/Vivitrol) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 240, pronunciation series episode 20 (levalbuterol) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 236, pronunciation series episode 19 (phentermine)  The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 228, pronunciation series episode 18 (ezetimibe) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 219, pronunciation series episode 17 (semaglutide) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 215, pronunciation series episode 16 (mifepristone and misoprostol) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 211, pronunciation series episode 15 (Humira®) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 202, pronunciation series episode 14 (SMZ-TMP) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 198, pronunciation series episode 13 (carisoprodol) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 194, pronunciation series episode 12 (tianeptine) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 188, pronunciation series episode 11 (insulin icodec)  The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 184, pronunciation series episode 10 (phenytoin and isotretinoin) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 180, pronunciation series episode 9 Apretude® (cabotegravir) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 177, pronunciation series episode 8 (metoprolol)  The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 164, pronunciation series episode 7 (levetiracetam) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 159, pronunciation series episode 6 (talimogene laherparepvec or T-VEC)  The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 155, pronunciation series episode 5 Trulicity® (dulaglutide)  The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 148, pronunciation series episode 4 Besponsa® (inotuzumab ozogamicin) The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 142, pronunciation series episode 3 Zolmitriptan and Zokinvy The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 138, pronunciation series episode 2 Molnupiravir and Taltz The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast episode 134, pronunciation series episode 1 Eszopiclone and Qulipta Kim's websites and social media links: ✅ Guest Application Form (The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast) https://bit.ly/41iGogX ✅ Monthly email newsletter sign-up link https://bit.ly/3AHJIaF  ✅ LinkedIn Newsletter link https://bit.ly/40VmV5B ✅ Business website https://www.thepharmacistsvoice.com ✅ Get my FREE eBook and audiobook about podcasting ✅ The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast https://www.thepharmacistsvoice.com/podcast ✅ Drug pronunciation course https://www.kimnewlove.com  ✅ Podcasting course https://www.kimnewlove.com/podcasting  ✅ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimnewlove ✅ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kim.newlove.96 ✅ Twitter https://twitter.com/KimNewloveVO ✅ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kimnewlovevo/ ✅ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA3UyhNBi9CCqIMP8t1wRZQ ✅ ACX (Audiobook Narrator Profile) https://www.acx.com/narrator?p=A10FSORRTANJ4Z ✅ Start a podcast with the same coach who helped me get started (Dave Jackson from The School of Podcasting)! **Affiliate Link - NEW 9-8-23**      Thank you for listening to episode 326 of The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast.  If you know someone who would like this episode, please share it with them!

295: You won't Belize this Ms. Pat took a fun trip to Belize with her family. Too bad she can't remember it! Then we discuss the current political environment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom RosenbauerChief EnthusiastThe Orvis CompanyTom Rosenbauer has been with the Orvis Company since 1976, and while there has been a fishing school instructor, copywriter, public relations director, merchandise manager, and was editor of The Orvis News for 10 years. He is currently their chief marketing enthusiast, which is what they call people when they don't know what else to do with them.He has fished extensively across North America and has also fished on Christmas Island, the Bahamas, Belize, in Kamchatka, Chile, and on the fabled English chalk streams .His podcast, The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast, is one of the top outdoor podcasts on ITunes and has had over 25 million downloads since its inception. He lives with his wife and son in southern Vermont on the banks of his favorite trout stream.summaryIn this episode of the Big World Made Small podcast, host Jason Elkins welcomes Tom Rosenbauer, the Chief Enthusiast of Orvis, to discuss his extensive journey in the fly fishing industry. They explore Tom's early experiences with fishing, the evolution of fly fishing, and how it has become more accessible to newcomers. Tom shares memorable adventures, the importance of passion in sustaining a long career, and how technology has changed the way they connect with the fishing community. The conversation wraps up with insights on future travel aspirations and demystifying fly fishing for beginners.takeawaysTom Rosenbauer has been with Orvis for 49 years.The title 'Chief Enthusiast' reflects a long career with Orvis.Starting in retail is a common path for those in the fly fishing industry.Fly fishing can be accessible and affordable for beginners.Technology has transformed how fly fishing is taught and shared.Traveling for fishing can lead to unforgettable experiences.Passion is key to longevity in the fly fishing business.Fly fishing is not just about trout; there are many species to target.Independent fly shops are crucial for the fishing community.Learning to fly fish has never been easier with online resources.Learn about Tom's trip to Iceland. Learn more about Big World Made Small Adventure Travel Marketing and join our private community to get episode updates, special access to our guests, and exclusive adventure travel offers on our website.

In the first part of this episode of the Curious Realm, host Christopher Jordan welcomes Cryptozoologist Ryan Edwards to discuss the recent landmark announcement that scientists have resurrected the Dire Wolf from extinction. But is this the case? Have scientists succeeded in the long-sought quest to revive an extinct species, or is this just a hyped story to garner headlines and funding? In the second part of the episode, we welcome Jard Murphy and Kristi Bass of RKEOX to discuss their groundbreaking work uncovering a newly discovered complex in Belize. What secrets might this complex hold, and how can continued recovery efforts help the local population reclaim their links to an ancient past? Join the Curious Realm as we delve into the topics of the Dire Wolf revived with Ryan Edwards and new ruins of Belize with Jared Murphy and Kristi Bass of RKEOX. Curious Realm is proudly distributed by: Ground Zero Media & Aftermath Media, KGRA, APRTV and the official Curious Realm ROKU App! Curious Realm has teamed up with True Hemp Science, Austin, TX based suppliers of high-quality full spectrum emulsified CBD products and more. Visit TrueHempScience.com TODAY and use code Curious7 to save 7% off your order of $50 or more and get a free 50mg CBD edible! Website live streams powered by Web Work Wireless. For the best in home and business WiFi solutions visit WebWorksWireless.com. Intro music “A Curious Realm” provided by No Disassemble find more great music and content at: NoDisassemble.com.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/curious-realm--5254986/support.

Send us a textHello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul and this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast I am delighted to welcome back a special guest, my cohost Cheryl.We are largely in the bucket list checking stage of our lives, and just got the opportunity to check one off—a cruise on a luxury cruise line, specifically Explora Journeys and its first ship, Explora I. Let me preface with a brief overview oo the main categories of cruise lines:Mainstream-Carnival, Royal Caribbean, NCLPremium-Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, Virgin Voyages, DisneyLuxury-Regent Seven Seas, Seaborne, Crystal, Windstar You can argue with those classifications but that is accepted in the cruising industry. Where you are more likely to get arguments is about these cruise lines on the edge between categories. When we decided on explora journeys it was not on our luxury cruise radar—the luxury lines just mentioned were. This aspiration to cruise in luxury was decidedly low on the list simply due to affordability; we have so many more affordable bucket list items; like going to the Panama Canal this fall. Then Explora Journeys surprisingly dominated the luxury category of the Cruise Critics Awards just a short time before I hosted Colleen Mc Daniel who happens to be the Editor-in-Chief of Cruise Critic. Not only did Colleen pique my interest by sharing her own experience on Explora Journeys but she turned me on to some Explora promotions—still going on—that had me researching as soon as the call ended with Colleen.That research confirmed Colleen's mention of attractive pricing, and it led me to several podcast guests who could talk about Explora Journeys including Kathy Lu, an executive with Explora Journeys, before we boarded in March. Support the showSupport thejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/newSupport Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulthContact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.htmlBook Cruises http://www.thejoyofvacation.com/US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast)The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingCruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterruptedThe Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgainIntl Orders via Amazon

Rev. Renaldo C. McKenzie, continues with the Lectures in Caribbean Thought at Jamaica Theological Seminary. This week Group 2 presents on Belize and Guyana, two countries that are located on the southern mainland of America bordering the Caribbean Sea. Group 4 will present on Bahamas and Cayman Islands.Rev. McKenzie introduces the Lecture first by discussing the tariffs placed on the Caribbean by the US.Subscribe: via any streamhttps://anchor.fm/theneoliberalThe Neoliberal Corporation, https://theneoliberal.comrenaldo.mnckenzie@jts.edu.jmrenaldocmckenzie@gmail.com

Send us a textYasmin and Andy left a comfortable life in the UK to join a small off-grid community in the jungles of Belize.Fifteen years after cycling through Central America, Yasmin and Andy returned—this time with three kids and a desire for a different kind of life. What began as a plan to visit intentional communities in Europe shifted during the pandemic, eventually landing them in a small permaculture community in Belize.They describe the emotional and practical steps behind leaving the UK, the grief of letting go, and the clarity that comes from recognizing how little time we have. Loneliness in early parenthood, especially within the isolation of the nuclear family, sparked a deeper search for connection. Now, they live alongside five other families where support is built into everyday life.This isn't a story about escaping—it's about building. From self-directed education to shared celebrations and infrastructure, Yasmin and Andy reflect on what it takes to live more freely and cooperatively.To learn more about Yasmin, Andy, and Sattvā Land or plan a visit, check the links below.

In this enlightening episode of the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast, host Sean V. Bradley, joined by Dealer Synergy's Director of CRM and Technologies, Jonathan Schrieber, delves deep into the intricacies of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems in the automotive industry. The discussion highlights the evolving roles within the dealership environment and the crucial importance of CRM systems as a cornerstone for modern automotive businesses. The episode begins with an exploration of Jonathan's extensive background, emphasizing the value of his varied experience from education to high-ranking dealership roles and through to his tenure at LotPop. "I fell in love with the CRM because you can't hide from it. You either do or you don't." – Jonathan Schrieber Throughout the episode, Sean and Jonathan stress the significance of effectively leveraging CRM systems to ensure dealership success and growth. They explore common shortcomings and strategies for enhancing CRM processes, from setup and employee training to AI integration with tools like Podium AI.  "Information without application is just information. Information with application equals transformation." – Sean V. Bradley Key insights include the necessity of customizing CRM processes to align with dealership specifics, promoting accountabilities such as making CRM usage a condition of employment, and the underutilized potential of CRM in reducing dealership dependency on expensive third-party lead providers. During the conversation, the seamless integration of AI with CRM systems is identified as a vital step towards optimizing customer engagement and dealership efficiency. "The hardest part about this job is just getting customer engagement." – Jonathan Schrieber   Key Takeaways: ✅ The seamless integration of CRM systems with AI holds significant potential to enhance dealership efficiency, especially beyond regular business hours. ✅ Customized CRM processes are vitally important for the unique needs of each dealership, particularly in managing the lifecycle of leads from various sources. ✅ Proficient use of CRM can dramatically reduce unnecessary expenditure on third-party lead services by maximizing existing databases. ✅ Consistent training and management accountability are essential to encourage proper CRM use by employees, enhancing dealership profitability. ✅ Innovative applications of AI within CRM not only streamline dealership operations but also improve customer engagement and management decision-making processes. About Jonathan Schrieber Jonathan Schrieber is a seasoned automotive professional with over 20 years of diverse experience in the industry. Jonathan is a graduate of the NADA University and has held various pivotal roles, including Internet Director and GSM. His career spans several key areas, including sales, service, parts, and management in dealerships, which provided him a holistic understanding of automotive operations! Jonathan currently serves as the Director of CRM and Technologies at Dealer Synergy, where he leads initiatives to maximize dealership efficiency and customer relationship management globally. His expertise has been honed further through a significant tenure at LotPop, where he analyzed and enhanced dealership processes across the country.   Mastering the Art of CRM Integration: Strategies for Automotive Dealership Success   Key Takeaways: Outsourcing and AI integration are pivotal for thriving CRM strategies. Comprehensive CRM training is essential for maximizing dealership potential. CRM is not just a tool but a culture that needs top-down commitment and execution.   Innovative CRM Strategies for Automotive Dealerships The landscape of the automotive industry is rapidly evolving, with customer relationship management (CRM) as a linchpin for success. As dealerships strive to sell more cars, customer engagement remains the hardest part of the job. The introduction of AI and dedicated call centers has revolutionized how dealerships manage leads and customer interactions. Sean V. Bradley, president of Dealer Synergy, underscores the importance of CRM by stating, "One of the biggest challenges that I keep hearing from dealers across the United States is, man, I don't have enough people." Outsourcing is a game-changer in this context. By expanding their operations across three countries, including Belize and the Philippines, Dealer Synergy leverages skilled agents ensuring no customer is left unattended. This operational efficiency not only addresses the perennial complaint of insufficient staffing but also enhances customer engagement through continuous, round-the-clock service. Such strategies allow dealers to focus more on profitable engagements, rather than scrambling to maintain their current workloads. The advent of AI, especially solutions like Podium's AI BDC, amplifies this strategy. Podium's Jerry provides 24/7 lead conversion powerhouses, engaging customers even after hours. "Meet Jerry Podium's new AI BDC. Jerry is a lead conversion powerhouse designed to respond instantly to every incoming lead," offers a practical glimpse into leveraging technology for superior customer management without direct human intervention. Such integrations streamline processes, ensuring a smooth handover to human staff without disrupting customer interaction.   The Importance of Robust CRM Training and Processes While sophisticated tools and AI are invaluable, the human factor remains central to CRM success. Dealerships often overlook thorough training for their teams, leading to suboptimal use of available technology. Jonathan Schrieber, an automotive veteran and Director of CRM and Technologies at Dealer Synergy Global, emphasizes the need for a sound training structure. "I think the hardest part about this job is just getting customer engagement," he echoes, highlighting how a well-trained staff is instrumental in overcoming this challenge. Schrieber's personal journey from the floor of a dealership to overseeing CRM at an executive level underscores the value of comprehensive training and experienced leadership. His background in every facet of the dealership—from driving a parts truck to handling finance—shows how familiarity with all processes enriches CRM strategy and execution. His insight into the importance of analytics ensures that dealership's sales, service, and parts departments align seamlessly, fostering an environment where CRM is not just a database, but a dynamic tool driving meaningful customer interactions. Training should not simply involve checking off a list. Instead, it requires ongoing commitment from all levels of management. "It's not what you preach, it's what you tolerate," a quote from Extreme Ownership as referenced by Schrieber, encapsulates the idea that CRM proficiency must be embedded in the dealership's culture. Overcoming CRM hesitance requires robust leadership that practices what it preaches, making CRM compliance and training a non-negotiable part of dealership operations.   Elevating CRM from Tool to Cultural Cornerstone The successful execution of CRM strategies stretches beyond technology and tools; it requires a paradigm shift in how dealerships perceive CRM. Sean V. Bradley advocates for viewing CRM as fundamental to dealership operations, not just an optional tool. "Information without application is just information. Information with application equals transformation," he states, urging dealerships to transform data into actionable insights. Transitioning CRM from a supportive tool to an operational cornerstone involves aligning AI, human resources, and backend processes. The trifecta approach—human resources, CRM automation, and AI—ensures all dealership functions operate synergistically. When set up correctly, these elements prevent duplicate efforts and ensure smooth customer interactions. Achieving this integration requires a commitment to cleanliness and optimization of existing CRM processes. As Schrieber advises, "The first step…is just clean up and optimize what you do have first." By eliminating redundancies and enhancing process flows, dealerships can fully leverage AI capabilities, ensuring customer interaction fidelity and real-time engagement. Crafting a future-proof CRM strategy in the automotive industry necessitates a blend of advanced technology, diligent training, and a cultural shift in CRM perception. As experts like Schrieber and Bradley illustrate, converting CRM from a task-driven utility to an integral cultural component is crucial. This ensures not only enhanced customer experiences but also maximizes profitability in an increasingly competitive market. Through embracing technology, fostering comprehensive training, and committing to a culture of accountability, dealerships can thrive in the complex ecosystem of modern automotive sales.     Resources: Podium: Discover how Podium's innovative AI technology can unlock unparalleled efficiency and drive your dealership's sales to new heights. Visit www.podium.com/mcs to learn more!   NCC: Credit-Driven Retailing - NCC delivers industry-best credit-driven retailing for auto dealerships, combining a powerful credit and compliance engine and fully integrated CRM/Desking platform for maximum profitability.   Complete CRM: Complete CRM is a streamlined, all-in-one system that simplifies your dealership software and processes so you can manage every aspect of your operation with ease; from tracking and following up on leads, desking deals, managing inventory, marketing to your customers, and more.   Dealer Synergy & Bradley On Demand: The automotive industry's #1 training, tracking, testing, and certification platform and consulting & accountability firm.   The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group: Join the #1 Mastermind Group in the Automotive Industry! With over 28,000 members, gain access to successful automotive mentors & managers, the best industry practices, & collaborate with automotive professionals from around the WORLD! Join The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group today!   Win the Game of Googleopoly: Unlocking the secret strategy of search engines.     The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast is Proudly Sponsored By: Podium: Elevating Dealership Excellence with Intelligent Customer Engagement Solutions. Unlock unparalleled efficiency and drive sales with Podium's innovative AI technology, featured proudly on the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast. Visit www.podium.com/mcs to learn more!   NCC: Powered by proprietary solutions such as Intelligent Credit Engine™ and LenderSelect™, NCC transforms the car-buying experience for dealers and their customers. From compliance and lender selection to CRM and desking, to marketing and data mining—NCC integrates them all in a single, seamless platform to deliver better customer experiences, maximum efficiency and maximum profit.   Complete CRM: As an innovative leader in the industry for the last 30 years, Complete CRM is designed to give your dealership the competitive edge in a demanding marketplace. Powered by Complete Credit™ and award-winning desking, Complete CRM™ is the industry's only credit and compliance-enabled CRM that lets dealers achieve maximum profitability on every deal. Built on modern technology, Complete CRM seamlessly integrates credit, compliance, inventory, data mining, lead generation, enterprise functionality, and customized reporting in one tool with a single login.   Dealer Synergy: The #1 Automotive Sales Training, Consulting, and Accountability Firm in the industry! With over two decades of experience in building Internet Departments and BDCs, we have developed the most effective automotive Internet Sales, BDC, and CRM solutions. Our expertise in creating phone scripts, rebuttals, CRM action plans, strategies, and templates ensures that your dealership's tools and personnel reach their full potential.   Bradley On Demand: The automotive sales industry's top Interactive Training, Tracking, Testing, and Certification Platform. Featuring LIVE Classes and over 9,000 training modules, our platform equips your dealership with everything needed to sell more cars, more often, and more profitably!  

This week, Patrick brings his parents to Belize for a fun-filled week in paradise.Book your stay today!

Beckler & Seanna talk about Seanna's trip to Belize, Ovechkin breaking Gretzky's record, and say one positive and one negative of each federal party leader.

Large rallies in America against Trump; worrying environmental signs off Belize; amazing tortoise mum and dad at Philadelphia Zoo. Adam Gilchrist shares details on these stories with Lester Kiewit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bongani Bingwa reflects on today’s top stories in the world with Adam Gilchrist. Anti-Trump Protests Sweeping America, Unveiling the Secrets of The Blue Hole and a remarkable story of a tortoise couple that has captured hearts with their advanced age.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bongani Bingwa reflects on today’s top stories in the world with Adam Gilchrist. Anti-Trump Protests Sweeping America, Unveiling the Secrets of The Blue Hole and a remarkable story of a tortoise couple that has captured hearts with their advanced age.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Steve BootsApril 6, 2025Sunday Evening

CheloniaCast is on location at the Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE), located on a 1,153 acre preserve in Belize. BFREE serves as a space for wildlife conservation, study, and education. This episode is comprised of two conversations, the first being with Jacob Marlin: founder and Executive Director of BFREE. Jacob is renowned in the world of herpetology and conservation holistically. We focus on his upbringing into the world of wildlife conservation, the origins of BFREE, and insight into the work BFREE is doing to preserve the critically endangered Hicatee. The second part of the episode is a conversation with Heather Barrett, Deputy Director of BFREE, along with Tom Pop, Jonathan Dubon, and Barney Hall. This part of the conversation focuses on their indvidual experiences at BFREE, working with the Hicatees, freshwater turtles, and experiencing the wildlife that is present.   For more information about BFREE, check out their website: https://www.bfreebz.org/   Be sure to follow BFREE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bfreebz/?hl=en   Be sure to follow BFREE on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BFREEBZ/   Learn more about the CheloniaCast Podcast here: https://theturtleroom.org/cheloniacast/   Learn more about the CheloniaCast Podcast Fund here: https://theturtleroom.org/project/cheloniacast-podcast/   Follow the CheloniaCast Podcast on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter @cheloniacast   Host and production crew social media - Jason Wills - @chelonian.carter / Michael Skibsted - @michael.skibstedd / Jack Thompson - @jack_reptile_naturalist_302 / Ken Wang - @americanmamushi / Wyatt Keil - @wyatts_wildlife_photography / Paul Cuneo - @paul_turtle_conservation42 / Alex Mione - @alex.mione / Ethan Hancock - @ethankinosternonlover / Torsten Watkins - @t_0_.e

A new week means new questions! Hope you have fun with these!The pointed front end of a surfboard takes its name after what part of the human body?"All That Jazz", "Cell Block Tango", and "Mr. Cellophane" are all songs in what musical?What powerup in Mario Kart, when used, aims directly at the racer in first place?Which artist did Matisse and Picasso call "the father of us all"?What is the official language of Belize?Tanya McQuoid-Hunt was a main character in Season 1 and 2 of HBO's The White Lotus and was played by which actress?Which animal has a simple eye at the end of each of its arms?MusicHot Swing, Fast Talkin, Bass Walker, Dances and Dames, Ambush by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Don't forget to follow us on social media:Patreon – patreon.com/quizbang – Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Check out our fun extras for patrons and help us keep this podcast going. We appreciate any level of support!Website – quizbangpod.com Check out our website, it will have all the links for social media that you need and while you're there, why not go to the contact us page and submit a question!Facebook – @quizbangpodcast – we post episode links and silly lego pictures to go with our trivia questions. Enjoy the silly picture and give your best guess, we will respond to your answer the next day to give everyone a chance to guess.Instagram – Quiz Quiz Bang Bang (quizquizbangbang), we post silly lego pictures to go with our trivia questions. Enjoy the silly picture and give your best guess, we will respond to your answer the next day to give everyone a chance to guess.Twitter – @quizbangpod We want to start a fun community for our fellow trivia lovers. If you hear/think of a fun or challenging trivia question, post it to our twitter feed and we will repost it so everyone can take a stab it. Come for the trivia – stay for the trivia.Ko-Fi – ko-fi.com/quizbangpod – Keep that sweet caffeine running through our body with a Ko-Fi, power us through a late night of fact checking and editing!

L'acquisition d'une île privée est un rêve pour beaucoup, mais les prix varient considérablement en fonction de plusieurs facteurs tels que la localisation, la taille, les infrastructures existantes et le potentiel de développement. Les tarifs peuvent aller de quelques centaines de milliers d'euros à plusieurs dizaines de millions.Îles abordables :Certaines régions offrent des îles privées à des prix comparables à ceux de maisons traditionnelles. Par exemple, au Belize, au Honduras ou au Nicaragua, il est possible de trouver de petites îles pour moins de 500 000 dollars, certaines étant même proposées entre 50 000 et 300 000 dollars. Îles de gamme intermédiaire :Dans des pays européens comme la Grèce, le prix d'une île privée débute aux alentours de 1 million d'euros pour une île sans aménagements. Aux États-Unis, notamment en Floride, certaines îles privées sont disponibles dans une fourchette de prix allant de 200 000 à 500 000 dollars, bien que les offres les plus chères puissent atteindre des dizaines de millions de dollars. ​Îles de luxe :Les îles dotées d'infrastructures haut de gamme, telles que des villas luxueuses, des pistes d'atterrissage ou des équipements exclusifs, atteignent des prix très élevés. Par exemple, l'île de Kaibu aux Fidji, s'étendant sur 800 acres avec trois villas, une piste d'atterrissage, un avion et un parcours de golf, est proposée à la vente pour 62,5 millions de livres sterling. ​En France ?En moyenne, une île privée en France coûte entre 300 000 euros et plusieurs millions d'euros.Les îles les moins chères sont souvent situées dans des zones moins touristiques ou difficiles d'accès, comme certains lacs du centre de la France ou des estuaires en Bretagne. Pour ce type d'île — sans habitation, sans raccordement à l'eau ou à l'électricité — les prix peuvent commencer autour de 300 000 à 600 000 euros.En revanche, si l'on cherche une île en bord de mer, notamment en Bretagne, Normandie, Vendée ou Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, les prix s'envolent rapidement. Une île avec une maison habitable, un quai ou une plage accessible, peut facilement dépasser 1 à 5 millions d'euros. Certaines îles très prisées, comme celles du Golfe du Morbihan ou proches de l'île de Ré, atteignent même des prix à deux chiffres en millions.Un exemple concret ?L'île de Boëdic, dans le Golfe du Morbihan, a été mise en vente il y a quelques années pour environ 10 millions d'euros. Elle dispose d'une grande villa, de dépendances, d'un héliport et d'un parc arboré. On est loin du terrain vierge à exploiter.Des restrictions importantesAcheter une île en France, ce n'est pas comme acheter un appartement. Il faut composer avec des règles strictes :Protection environnementale : beaucoup d'îles sont classées ou situées en zone Natura 2000, ce qui limite fortement les constructions.Servitudes d'accès : certaines îles peuvent être concernées par des droits de passage ou d'usage (ex. : pêcheurs ou promeneurs).Droit du littoral : la loi Littoral encadre strictement les aménagements en bord de mer. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

Can You Segway?Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.So exactly who was going to be sympathetic to their plight, who we cared about?Beyond my fevered dream of making a difference there was a pinch of reality. See, the Cabindans and the people of Zaire were both ethnic Bakongo and the Bakongo of Zaire had also once had their own, independent (until 1914) kingdom which was now part of Angola. The Bakongo were major factions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) -(formerly for a short time known as the nation of Zaire, from here on out to be referred to as the DRC and in the running for the most fucked up place on the planet Earth, more on that later)- and Congo (the nation) yet a minority in Angola. Having an independent nation united along ethnic and linguistic lines made sense and could expect support from their confederates across international boundaries.The Liberation Air ForceThe Earth & Sky operated under one constant dilemma ~ when would Temujin make his return? Since they didn't know and it was their job to be prepared for the eventuality if it happened tomorrow, or a century down the line, they 'stockpiled', and 'stockpiled' and 'stockpiled'.That was why they maintained large horse herds and preserved the ancient arts of Asian bowyers, armoring and weapons-craft. That was why they created secret armories, and sulfur and saltpeter sites when musketry and cannons became the new ways of warfare. They secured sources of phosphates and petroleum when they became the new thing, and so on.All of this boiled over to me being shown yet again I worked with clever, creative and under-handed people. The Khanate came up with a plan for a 'Union' Air Force {Union? More on that later} within 24 hours, and it barely touched any of their existing resources. How did they accomplish this miracle? They had stockpiled and maintained earlier generation aircraft because they didn't know when Temujin would make his re-appearance.They'd also trained pilots and ground crews for those aircraft. As you might imagine, those people grew old just as their equipment did. In time, they went into the Earth & Sky's Inactive Reserves ~ the rank & file over the age of 45. You never were 'too old' to serve in some capacity though most combat-support related work ended at 67.When Temujin made his return and the E&S transformed into the Khanate, those people went to work bringing their lovingly cared for, aging equipment up to combat-alert readiness. If the frontline units were decimated, they would have to serve, despite the grim odds of their survival. It was the terrible acceptance the Chinese would simply possess so much more war-making material than they did.Well, the Khanate kicked the PRC's ass in a titanic ass-whooping no one (else) had seen coming, or would soon forget. Factory production and replacement of worn machines was in stride to have the Khanate's Air Force ready for the next round of warfare when the Cease-fire ended and the Reunification War resumed.Always a lower priority, the Khanate military leadership was considering deactivating dozens of these reserve unit when suddenly the (Mongolian) Ikh khaany khairt akh dáé (me) had this hare-brained scheme about helping rebels in Africa, West Africa, along the Gulf of Guinea coast/Atlantic Ocean, far, far away, and it couldn't look like the Khanate was directly involved.They barely knew where Angola was. They had to look up Cabinda to figure out precisely where that was. They brought in some of their 'reservist' air staff to this briefing and one of them, a woman (roughly a third of the E&S 'fighting'/non-frontline forces were female), knew what was going on. Why?She had studied the combat records and performance of the types of aircraft she'd have to utilize... back in the 1980's and 90's and Angola had been a war zone rife with Soviet (aka Khanate) material back then. Since she was both on the ball, bright and knew the score, the War Council put her in overall command. She knew what was expected of her and off she went, new staff in hand. She was 64 years old, yet as ready and willing to serve as any 20 year old believer in the Cause.Subtlety, scarcity and audacity were the watchwords of the day. The Khanate couldn't afford any of their front-line aircraft for this 'expedition'. They really couldn't afford any of their second-rate stuff either. Fortunately, they had some updated third-rate war-fighting gear still capable of putting up an impressive show in combat ~ providing they weren't going up against a top tier opponents.For the 'volunteers' of the Union Air Force, this could very likely to be a one-way trip. They all needed crash courses (not a word any air force loves, I know) in Portuguese though hastily provided iPhones with 'apps' to act as translators were deemed to be an adequate stop-gap measure. Besides, they were advised to avoid getting captured at all cost. The E&S couldn't afford the exposure. Given the opportunity ~ this assignment really was going above and beyond ~ not one of these forty-six to sixty-seven year olds backed out.No, they rolled out fifty of their antiquated aircraft, designs dating back to the 1950's through the mid-70's, and prepared them for the over 10,000 km journey to where they were 'needed most'. 118 pilots would go (72 active plus 46 replacements) along with 400 ground crew and an equally aged air defense battalion (so their air bases didn't get blown up). Security would be provided by 'outsiders' ~ allies already on the ground and whatever rebels could be scrounged up. After the initial insertion, the Indian Air Force would fly in supplies at night into the Cabinda City and Soyo Airports.The composition,14 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 jet fighters ~ though she entered service in 1959, these planes' electronics were late 20th century and she was a renowned dogfighter. 12 were the Mig-21-97 modernized variant and the other two were Mig-21 UM two-seater trainer variants which could double as reconnaissance fighters if needed.14 Sukhoi Su-22 jet fighter-bombers ~ the original design, called the Su-17, came out in 1970, the first 12 were variants with the 22M4 upgrade were an early-80's package. The other 2 were Su-22U two-seat trainers which, like their Mig-21 comrades, doubled as reconnaissance fighters. The Su-22M4's would be doing the majority of the ground attack missions for the Cabindans, though they could defend themselves in aerial combat if necessary.6 Sukhoi Su-24M2 supersonic attack aircraft ~ the first model rolled off the production lines in the Soviet Union back in 1974. By far the heaviest planes in the Cabindan Air Force, the Su-24M2's would act as their 'bomber force' as well as anti-ship deterrence.8 Mil Mi-24 VM combat helicopters ~ introduced in 1972 was still a lethal combat machine today. Unlike the NATO helicopter force, the Mi-24's did double duty as both attack helicopter and assault transports at the same time.4 Mil Mi-8 utility helicopters, first produced in 1967. Three would act as troop/cargo transports (Mi-8 TP) while the fourth was configured as a mobile hospital (the MI-17 1VA).4 Antonov An-26 turboprop aircraft, two to be used as tactical transports to bring in supplies by day and two specializing in electronic intelligence aka listening to what the enemy was up to. Though it entered production in 1969, many still remained flying today.2 Antonov An-71M AEW&C twin-jet engine aircraft. These were an old, abandoned Soviet design the Earth & Sky had continued working on primarily because the current (1970's) Russian Airborne Early Warning and Control bird had been both huge and rather ineffective ~ it couldn't easily identify low-flying planes in the ground clutter so it was mainly only good at sea. Since the E&S planned to mostly fight over the land,They kept working on the An-71 which was basically 1977's popular An-72 with some pertinent design modifications (placing the engines below the wings instead of above them as on the -72 being a big one). To solve their radar problem, they stole some from the Swedish tech firm Ericsson, which hadn't been foreseen to be a problem before now.See, the Russians in the post-Soviet era created a decent AEW&C craft the E&S gladly stole and copied the shit out of for their front line units and it was working quite nicely ~ the Beriev A-50, and wow, were the boys in the Kremlin pissed off about that these days. Whoops, or was that woot?Now, the Khanate was shipping two An-71's down to Cabinda and somewhere along the line someone just might get a 'feel' for the style of radar and jamming the Cabindans were using aka the Swedish stuff in those An-71's. The Erieye radar system could pick out individual planes at 280 miles. The over-all system could track 60 targets and plot out 10 intercepts simultaneously. NATO, they were not, but in sub-Saharan Africa, there were none better.Anyway, so why was any of this important?Why the old folks with their ancient machines? As revealed, since the Earth & Sky had no idea when Temüjin would return, they were constantly squirreling away equipment. World War 2 gave them unequaled access to Soviet military technology and training.Afterwards, under Josef Stalin's direction, thousands of Russian and German engineers and scientists were exiled to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan who were then snatched up (reportedly died in the gulags/trying to escape) and the E&S began building mirror factories modeled on the 'then current' Soviet production lines.So, by the early 1950's, the E&S was building, flying and maintaining Soviet-style Antonov, Beriev, Ilyushin, Myasishchev, Mikoyan-Gurevich, Sukhoi, Tupolev and Yakovlev airplanes. First in small numbers because their pool of pilots and specialists was so small.The E&S remedied this by creating both their own 'private' flight academies and technical schools. They protected their activities with the judicious use of bribes (they were remarkably successful with their economic endeavors on both side of the Iron Curtain) and murders (including the use of the Ghost Tigers).By 1960, the proto-Khanate had an air force. Through the next two decades they refined and altered their doctrine ~ moving away from the Soviet doctrine to a more pure combined-arms approach (the Soviets divided their air power into four separate arms ~ ADD (Long Range Aviation), FA (Front Aviation), MTA (Military Transport Aviation) and the V-PVO (Soviet Air Defenses ~ which controlled air interceptors).).It wasn't until the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of the various former SSR's that the E&S program really began to hit its stride. Still, while Russia faltered, China's PLAAF (Peoples' Liberation Army Air Force) began to take off. Since the Chinese could produce so much more, the E&S felt it had to keep those older planes and crews up to combat readiness. The younger field crews and pilots flew the newer models as they rolled off the secret production lines.Then the Unification War appeared suddenly, the E&S-turned Khanate Air Force skunked their PLAAF rivals due to two factors, a surprise attack on a strategic level and the fatal poisoning of their pilots and ground crews before they even got into the fight. For those Chinese craft not destroyed on the ground, the effects of Anthrax eroded their fighting edge. Comparable technology gave the Khanate their critical victory and Air Supremacy over the most important battlefields.What did this meant for those out-of-date air crews and pilots who had been training to a razor's edge for a month now? Their assignment had been to face down the Russians if they invaded. They would take their planes up into the fight even though this most likely would mean their deaths, but they had to try.When Operation Fun House put Russia in a position where she wasn't likely to jump on the Khanate, this mission's importance faded. The Russian Air Force was far more stretched than the Khanate's between her agitations in the Baltic and her commitments in the Manchurian, Ukrainian, Chechen and Georgian theaters.With more new planes rolling off the production lines, these reservist units began dropping down the fuel priority list, which meant lowering their flight times thus readiness. Only my hare-brained scheme had short-circuited their timely retirement. Had I realized I was getting people's grandparents killed, I would have probably made the same call anyway. We needed them.The KanateThe Khanate's #1 air superiority dogfighter was the Mig-35F. The #2 was the Mig-29. No one was openly discussing the Khanate's super-stealthy "Su-50", if that was what it was, because its existence 'might' suggest the Khanate also stole technology from the Indian defense industry, along with their laundry list of thefts from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the PRC, Russia and half of NATO.Her top multi-role fighters were the Su-47, Su-35S and Su-30SM. The Su-30 'Flanker-C/MK2/MKI were their 2nd team with plenty of 3rd team Su-27M's still flying combat missions as well.Strike fighters? There weren't enough Su-34's to go around yet, so the Su-25MS remained the Khanate's dedicated Close Air Assault model.Medium transport aircraft? The An-32RE and An-38. They had small, large and gargantuan transports as well.Bombers? The rather ancient jet-powered Tu-160M2's and Tu-22M2's as well as the even older yet still worthwhile turboprops ~ from 1956's ~ the Tu-95M S16.Helicopters? While they still flew updated variants of the Mil Mi-8/17 as military transports, the more optimized Kamov Ka-52 and Mil Mi-28 had replaced them in the assault role.Bizarrely, the Khanate had overrun several Chinese production lines of the aircraft frames and components ~ enough to complete fairly modern PLAAF (Peoples Liberation Army Air Force) FC-1 and J-10 (both are small multi-role fighter remarkably similar to the US F-16 with the FC-1 being the more advanced model, using shared Chinese-Pakistani technology and was designed for export,).They did have nearly two dozen to send, but they didn't have the pilots and ground crews trained to work with them, plus the FC-1 cost roughly $32 million which wasn't fundage any legitimate Cabindan rebels could get their hands on, much less $768 million (and that would just be for the planes, not the weeks' worth of fuel, parts and munitions necessary for what was forthcoming).Meanwhile, except for the An-26, which you could get for under $700,000 and the An-71, which were only rendered valuable via 'black market tech', none of the turboprop and jet aircraft the Khanate was sending were what any sane military would normally want. The helicopters were expensive ~ the 'new' models Mi-24's cost $32 million while the Mi-17's set you back $17 million. The one's heading to Cabinda didn't look 'new'.The Opposition:In contrast, the Angolan Air Force appeared far larger and more modern. Appearances can be deceptive, and they were. Sure, the models of Russian and Soviet-made aircraft they had in their inventory had the higher numbers ~ the Su-25, -27 and -30 ~ plus they had Mig-21bis's, Mig-23's and Su-22's, but things like training and up-keep didn't appear to be priorities for the Angolans.When you took into account the rampant corruption infecting all levels of Angolan government, the conscript nature of their military, the weakness of their technical educational system, the complexity of any modern combat aircraft and the reality that poor sods forced into being Air Force ground crewmen hardly made the most inspired technicians, or most diligent care-takers of their 'valuable' stockpiles (which their officers all too often sold on the black market anyway), things didn't just look bleak for the Angolan Air Force, they were a tsunami of cumulative factors heading them for an epic disaster.It wasn't only their enemies who derided their Air Force's lack of readiness. Their allies constantly scolded them about it too. Instead of trying to fix their current inventory, the Angolans kept shopping around for new stuff. Since 'new'-new aircraft was beyond what they wanted to spend (aka put too much of a dent in the money they were siphoning off to their private off-shore accounts), they bought 'used' gear from former Soviet states ~ Belarus, Russia and Ukraine ~ who sold them stuff they had left abandoned in revetments (open to the elements to slowly rot) on the cheap.To add to the insanity, the Angolans failed to keep up their maintenance agreements so their newly fixed high-tech machines often either couldn't fly, or flew without critical systems, like radar, avionics and even radios. Maybe that wasn't for the worst because after spending millions on these occasionally-mobile paperweights, the Angolans bought the least technologically advanced missile, gun and rocket systems they could get to put on these flying misfortunes.On the spread sheets, Angola had 18 Su-30K's, 18 Su-27, 12 Su-25's, 14 Su-22's, 22 Mig-23's, 23 Mig-21bis's and 6 Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano (a turboprop aircraft tailor-made for counter-insurgency operations), 105 helicopters with some combative ability and 21 planes with some airlift capacity. That equated to 81 either air superiority, or multi-role jet fighters versus the 12 Union Air Force (actually the Bakongo Uni o de Cabinda e Zaire, For as Armadas de Liberta  o, For a Area ~ Liberation Armed Forces, Air Force (BUCZ-FAL-FA) Mig-21-97's.It would seem lopsided except for the thousands of hours of flight experience the 'Unionists' enjoyed over their Angolan rivals. You also needed to take into account the long training and fanatic dedication of their ground crews to their pilots and their craft. Then you needed to take into account every Unionist aircraft, while an older airframe design, had updated (usually to the year 2000) technology lovingly cared for, as if the survival of their People demanded it.A second and even more critical factor was the element of surprise. At least the PRC and the PLAAF had contingencies for attacks from their neighbors in the forefront of their strategic planning. The Angolans? The only country with ANY air force in the vicinity was the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and they had ceased being a threat with the end of Apartheid and the rise of majority Black rule in that country nearly two decades earlier.In the pre-dawn hours of 'Union Independence Day', the FAL-FA was going to smash every Angolan Air base and air defense facility within 375 miles of Cabinda (the city). Every three hours after that, they would be hitting another target within their designated 'Exclusion Zone'. Yes, this 'Exclusion Zone' included a 'tiny' bit of DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) territory. The DRC didn't have an air force to challenge them though, so,Inside this 'Exclusion Zone', anything moving by sea, river, road, rail, or air without Unionist governmental approval was subject to attack, which would require neutral parties to acknowledge some semblance of a free and independent B U C Z. Worse for Angola, this 'Zone' included Angola's capital and its largest port, Luanda, plus four more of their ten largest urban centers. This could be an economic, military and humanitarian catastrophe if mishandled.The Angolan Army did not have significant anti-aircraft assets. Why would they? Remember, no one around them had much of an air force to worry about. The FAL-FA in turn could hit military convoys with TV-guided munitions 'beyond line of sight', rendering what they did have useless. It got worse for the Army after dark. The FAL-FA could and would fly at night whereas the average Angolan formation had Zip-Zero-Nadda night fighting capacity.Then geography added its own mountain of woes. As far as Cabinda was concerned, there was no direct land line to their border from Angola. Their coastal road only went as far as the port of Soyo where the Congo River hit the South Atlantic Ocean. Across that massive gap was the DRC where the road was not picked back up. Far up the coast was the DRC town of Muanda (with an airport) and though they did have a road which went north, it did not continue to the Cabindan border.Nope. To get at Cabinda from the south meant a long, torturous travel through northeastern Angola, into the heart of the DRC then entailed hooking west to some point 'close' to the Cabindan frontier before finally hoofing it overland through partially cleared farmland and jungle. Mind you, the DRC didn't have a native air force capable of protecting the Angolans in their territory so,In fact the only 'road' to Cabinda came from the Republic of Congo (Congo) to the north and even that was a twisted route along some really bad, swampy terrain. This had been the pathway of conquest the Angolans took 39 years earlier. The difference being the tiny bands of pro-independence Cabindan guerillas back then couldn't hold a candle to the Amazons fighting to free Cabinda this time around in numbers, zeal, training and up-to-date equipment.Next option ~ to come by sea. They would face a few, stiff problems, such as the FAL-FA having ship-killer missiles, the Angolan Navy not being able to defend them and the Unionists having no compunction to not strike Pointe-Noire in the 'not so neutral' Republic of the Congo if they somehow began unloading Angolan troops. It seemed the Republic of the Congo didn't have much of an Air Force either.Before you think the FAL-FA was biting off more than they could chew, Cabinda, the province, was shaped somewhat like the US State of Delaware, was half the size of Connecticut (Cabinda was 2,810 sq. mi. to Conn.'s 5,543 sq. mi.) and only the western 20% was relatively open countryside where the Angolan Army's only advantage ~ they possessed armed fighting vehicles while the 'Unionists' did not (at this stage of planning) ~ could hopefully come into play.Centered at their capital, Cabinda (City), jets could reach any point along their border within eight minutes. Helicopters could make it in fifteen. To be safe, some of the FAL-FA would base at the town of Belize which was in the northern upcountry and much tougher to get at with the added advantage the Angolans wouldn't be expecting the FAL-FA to be using the abandoned airfield there, at least initially.Where they afraid attacking Angolan troops in the DRC would invite war with the DRC? Sure, but letting the Angolans reach the border unscathed was worse. Besides, the DRC was in such a mess it needed 23,000 UN Peacekeepers within her borders just to keep the country from falling apart. Barring outside, read European, intervention, did "Democratically-elected since 2001" President (for Life) Joseph Kabila want the FAL-FA to start dropping bombs on his capital, Kinshasa, which was well within reach of all their aircraft?Congo (the country), to the north, wasn't being propped up by the UN, or anything else except ill intentions. In reality, it hardly had much of a military at all. Its officer corps was chosen for political reliability, not merit, or capability. Their technology was old Cold War stuff with little effort to update anything and, if you suspected corruption might be a problem across all spectrums of life, you would 'probably' be right about that too.If you suspected the current President had been in charge for a while, you would be correct again (1979-1992 then 2001- and the 'whoops' was when he accidently let his country experiment with democracy which led to two civil wars). If you suspected he was a life-long Communist (along with the Presidents of the DRC and Angola), you'd be right about that as well. Somehow their shared Marxist-Leninist-Communist ideology hadn't quite translated over to alleviating the grinding poverty in any of those countries despite their vast mineral wealth,At this point in the region's history, little Cabinda had everything to gain by striving for independence and the vast majority of 'warriors' who could possibly be sent against her had terribly little to gain fighting and dying trying to stop them from achieving her goal. After all, their lives weren't going to get any better and with the Amazons ability ~ nay willingness ~ to commit battlefield atrocities, those leaders were going to find it hard going to keep sending their men off to die.And then, it got even worse.See, what I had pointed out was there were two oil refineries in Angola, and neither was in Cabinda. Cabinda would need a refinery to start making good on their oil wealth ~ aka economically bribe off the Western economies already shaken over the Khanate's first round of aggressions.But wait! There was an oil refinery just across the Congo River from Cabinda ~ which meant it was attached to mainland Angola. That had to be a passel of impossible news, right?Nope. As I said earlier, it seemed the people of northern Angola were the same racial group as the Cabindans AND majority Catholic while the ruling clique wasn't part of their ethnic confederacy plus the farther south and east into Angola you went, the less Catholic it became.But it got better. This province was historically its own little independent kingdom (called the Kingdom of Kongo) to boot! It had been abolished by Portugal back in 1914.The 'good' news didn't end there. Now, it wasn't as if the leadership of Angola was spreading the wealth around to the People much anyway, but these northerners had been particularly left out of this Marxist version of 'Trickle Down' economics.How bad was this? This northwestern province ~ called Zaire ~ didn't have any railroads, or paved roads, linking it to the rest of the freaking country. The 'coastal road' entered the province, but about a third of the way up ran into this river, which they'd failed to bridge (you had to use a single track bridge farther to the northeast, if you can believe it). It wasn't even a big river. It was still an obstacle though.How did the Angolan government and military planned to get around? Why by air and sea, of course. Well, actually by air. Angola didn't have much of a merchant marine, or Navy, to make sealift a serious consideration. Within hours of the 'Union Declaration of Independence' anything flying anywhere north of the Luanda, the capital of Angola, would essentially be asking to be blown out of the sky.Along the border between Zaire province and the rest of Angola were precisely two chokepoints. By 'chokepoints', I meant places where a squad (10 trained, modernly-equipped troopers) could either see everything for miles & miles over pretty much empty space along a river valley and the only bridge separating Zaire province from the south, or overlook a ravine which the only road had to pass through because of otherwise bad-ass, broken terrain.Two.Zaire Province had roughly the same population as Cabinda ~ 600,000. Unlike Cabinda, which consisted of Cabinda City plus a few tiny towns and rugged jungles, Zaire had two cities ~ Soyo, with her seventy thousand souls plus the refinery at the mouth of the Congo River, and M'banza-Kongo, the historical capital of the Kingdom of Kongo, spiritual center of the Bakongo People (who included the Cabindans) and set up in the highlands strategically very reminiscent of Điện Biàn Phủ.Of Zaire's provincial towns, the only other strategic one was N'Zeto with her crappy Atlantic port facility and 2,230 meter grass airport. The town was the northern terminus of the National Road 100 ~ the Coastal Road. It terminated because of the Mebridege River. There wasn't a bridge at N'Zeto though there was a small one several miles upstream. N'Zeto was also where the road from provinces east of Zaire ended up, so you had to have N'Zeto ~ and that tiny bridge ~ to move troops overland anywhere else in Zaire Province.So you would think it would be easy for the Angolan Army to defend then, except of how the Amazons planned to operate. They would infiltrate the area first then 'rise up in rebellion'. Their problem was the scope of the operation had magnified in risk of exposure, duration and forces necessary for success.The serious issue before Saint Marie and the Host in Africa were the first two. They could actually move Amazons from Brazil and North America to bolster their numbers for the upcoming offensive. Even in the short-short term, equipment wouldn't be a serious problem. What the Amazons dreaded was being left in a protracted slugfest with the Angolan Army which the Condottieri could jump in on. The Amazons exceedingly preferred to strike first then vanish.There was reason to believe a tiny number could have stayed behind in Cabinda to help the locals prepare their military until they could defend themselves. They would need more than a hundred Amazons if Cabinda wanted to incorporate Zaire. The answer was to call back their newfound buddy, the Great Khan. While he didn't have much else he could spare (the Khanate was ramping up for their invasion of the Middle East after all, the Kurds needed the help), he had other allies he could call on.India couldn't help initially since they were supposed to supply the 'Peace-keepers' once a cease-fire had been arranged. That left Temujin with his solid ally, Vietnam, and his far shakier allies, the Republic of China and Japan.First off ~ Japan could not help, which meant they couldn't supply troops who might very well end up dead, or far worse, captured.. What they did have was a surplus of older equipment the ROC troops were familiar with, so while the ROC was gearing up for their own invasion of mainland China in February, they were willing to help the Chinese kill Angolans, off the books, of course.The ROC was sending fifteen hundred troops the Khanate's way to help in this West African adventure with the understanding they'd be coming home by year's end. With Vietnam adding over eight hundred of her own Special Forces, the Amazons had the tiny 'allied' army they could leave shielding Cabinda/Zaire once the first round of blood-letting was over.To be 'fair', the Republic of China and Vietnam asked for 'volunteers'. It wasn't like either country was going to declare war on Angola directly. Nearly a thousand members of Vietnam's elite 126th Regiment of the 5th Brigade (Đặc cáng bộ) took early retirement then misplaced their equipment as they went to update their visas and inoculations before heading out for the DRC (some would be slipping over the DRC/Cabindan border).On Taiwan, it was the men and women of the 602nd Air Cavalry Brigade, 871st Special Operations Group and 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion who felt the sudden desire to 'seek enlightenment elsewhere, preferably on another continent'.They too were off to the Democratic Republic of Congo, man that country was a mess and their border security wasn't worth writing home about, that's for damn sure, via multiple Southeast Asian nations. Besides, they were being issued fraudulently visas which showed them to be from the People's Republic of China, not the ROC/Taiwan. If they were captured, they were to pretend to "be working for a Communist Revolution inside Angola and thus to be setting all of Africa on fire!" aka be Mainland Chinese.There, in the DRC, these Chinese stumbled across, some Japanese. These folks hadn't retired. No. They were on an extended assignment for the UN's mission in, the DRC. OH! And look! They'd brought tons of surplus, outdated Japanese Self Defense Forces' equipment with them, and there just so happened to be some Taiwanese who had experience in using such equipment (both used US-style gear).And here was Colonel Yoshihiro Isami of the Chūō Sokuō Shūdan (Japan's Central Readiness Force) wondering why he and his hastily assembled team had just unloaded,18 Fuji/Bell AH-1S Cobra Attack helicopters,6 Kawasaki OH-6D Loach Scout helicopters,12 Fuji-Bell 204-B-2 Hiyodori Utility helicopters,6 Kawasaki/Boeing CH-47JA Chinook Transport helicopters and4 Mitsubishi M U-2L-1 Photo Reconnaissance Aircraft.Yep! 46 more aircraft for the FAL-FA!Oh, and if this wasn't 'bad enough', the Chinese hadn't come alone. They'd brought some old aircraft from their homes to aid in the upcoming struggle. Once more, these things were relics of the Cold War yet both capable fighting machines and, given the sorry state of the opposition, definitely quite deadly. A dozen F-5E Tiger 2000 configured primarily for air superiority plus two RF-5E Tigergazer for reconnaissance, pilots plus ground crews, of course.Thus, on the eve of battle, the FAL-FA had become a true threat. Sure, all of its planes (and half of its pilots) were pretty old, but they were combat-tested and in numbers and experience no other Sub-Saharan African nation could match.The Liberation Ground Forces:But wait, there was still the niggling little problem of what all those fellas were going to fight with once they were on the ground. Assault/Battle rifles, carbines, rifles, pistols, PDW, SMGs as bullets, grenades and RPG's were all terrifyingly easy to obtain. The coast of West Africa was hardly the Port of London as far as customs security went. They were going to need some bigger toys and their host nations were going to need all their native hardware for their upcoming battles at home.And it wasn't like you could advertise for used IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicles), APCs (armored personnel carriers) and tanks on e-Bay, Amazon.com, or Twitter. If something modern US, or NATO, was captured rolling around the beautiful Angolan countryside, shooting up hostile Angolans, all kinds of head would roll in all kinds of countries, unless the country,A) had an Executive Branch and Judiciary who wouldn't ask (or be answering) too many uncomfortable questions,B) wasn't all that vulnerable to international pressure,C) really needed the money and,D) didn't give a fuck their toys would soon be seen on BBC/CNN/Al Jazeera blowing the ever-living crap out of a ton of Africans aka doing what they were advertised to do and doing it very well in the hands of capable professionals.And politics was kind enough to hand the freedom-loving people of Cabinda & Zaire a winner, and it wasn't even from strangers, or at least people all that strange to their part of the Globe. If you would have no idea who to look for, you wouldn't be alone.That was the magic of the choice. See, the last three decades had seen the entire Globe take a colossal dump on them as a Nation and a People. They were highly unpopular for all sorts of things, such as Crimes Against Humanity and 'no', we were not talking about the Khanate.We would be talking about Република Србија / Republika Srbija aka Serbia aka the former Yugoslavia who had watched all their satellite minions (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia) slip away. Despite being reduced to a tiny fraction of their former selves thus fighting two incredibly brutal and bloody World Wars for nothing, Serbia insisted on maintaining a robust armaments industry.Mind you, they didn't make the very best stuff on the planet. That didn't stop them from trying though. Of equal importance was their geographic location and the above mentioned desire for some hard currency without asking too many questions. The geography was simple, you could move even heavy gear unnoticed from central Serbia to the Montenegrin port of Bar by rail and load them up on freighters and off to the Congo you went.The Serbians produced an APC called the BVP M-80A's which weren't blowing anyone's minds away when they started rolling off the production lines back in 1982, plus some over-eager types on the Serbian Army's payroll sweetened the deal by offering 'the rebels' some BVP M-80 KC's and a KB as well.Then they slathered on the sugary-sweet Maple syrup by upgrading a few of the M-80A's to BVP M-98A's. Why would they be so generous? The KC's and KB were the Command & Control variants, so that made sense (C = company & B = battalion commander). The -98A had never been tested in the field before and they were kind of curious how the new turrets (which was the major difference) would behave. 'Our' procurement agents didn't quibble. We needed the gear.Besides, these Slavic entrepreneurs gave them an inside track on some 'disarmed/mothballed' Czech (introduced in 1963) armored mobile ambulances and Polish BWP-1 (first rolled out in 1966) APC's which were either in, or could be quickly configured into, the support variants those ground-fighters would need. The 'disarmed' part was 'fixable', thanks to both the Serbians and Finland. The 'missing' basic weaponry was something the Serbians could replace with virtually identical equipment.It just kept getting better. Unknown to me at the time, the Finnish firm, Patria Hágglunds, had sold twenty-two of their 'most excellent' AMOS turrets ~ they are a twin 120 mm mortar system ~ then the deal fell through. Whoops! Should have guarded that warehouse better. Those bitches were on a cargo plane bound for Albania inside of six hours.The ammunition for them was rather unique. Thankfully, it was uniquely sold by the Swiss, who had no trouble selling it to Serbia, thank you very much! Twenty-two BWP-1's became mobile artillery for the Unionist freedom fighters, though I understood the ship ride with the Serbian and Chinese technicians was loads of fun as they struggled to figured out how to attach those state-of-the-art death-dealing turrets to those ancient contraptions.To compensate, the Serbians added (aka as long as our money was good) two Nora B-52 155 mm 52-calibre mobile artillery pieces and one battery of Orkan CER MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) for long-range artillery, two batteries of their Oganj 2000 ER MRLS for medium range carnage and six batteries of their M-94 MRLS for 'close support' as well. More field-testing new gear for the "freedom fighters" We also managed to 'purchase' ten M-84AS Main Battle tanks plus an M-84A1 armor recovery vehicle. It should have been twelve tanks, but two had 'loading issues'.Not to be deterred, our busy little procurement-beavers discovered four tanks no one was using, in neighboring Croatia. Why wasn't anyone immediately keen on their placement? They were two sets of prototypes, Croatia's improvements on the M-84; the M-95 Degman which was a 'failed redesign' and the M-84D, which was a vast up-grade for the M-84 line which had been sidelined by the 2008 Global economic collapse, after which the project stagnated.It seemed they were all in working order because late one night 'my people' exited a Croatian Army base with them, never to be seen again, until two weeks later when an intrepid news crew caught the distinctive form of the M-95 sending some sweet 125 mm loving the Angolan Army's way. Whoops yet again! At least they hit what they were aiming at and destroyed what they hit, right?By then, millions of other people would be going 'what the fuck?' right along with them as Cabinda's camouflage- and mask-wearing rebel army was laying the smack-down on the Angolans. That was okay; over a million 'free Cabindan Unionists' were in the same boat. Over a thousand Asians with their mostly-female militant translators were right there to prop up their 'Unionist Allies', but then they were the ones with the tanks, armored vehicles, planes and guns, so they were less worried than most.To pilot these tanks, APC, IFV and man this artillery, they had to go back to the Khanate. Sure enough, they had some old tankers used to crewing the T-72 from which the M-84's and -95 Degman were derived. They'd also need drivers for those BVP M-80A's and Polish BWP-1's and OT-64 SKOT's... who were, again, derived from old Soviet tech (just much better). The Serbian artillery was similar enough to Soviet stuff, but with enough new tech to make it 'more fun' for the reservists to 'figure out' how to use.More volunteers for the Liberation Armed Forces! More Apple sales, great apps and voice modulation software so that the vehicle commanders would be heard communicating in Portuguese if someone was eavesdropping. As a final offering the Turkish Navy spontaneously developed some plans to test their long range capabilities by going to, the South Atlantic.On the final leg they would have six frigates and two submarines, enough to give any navy in the region, which wasn't Brazil, something to think about. This was a show of force, not an actual threat though. If anyone called their bluff, the Khanate-Turkish forces would have to pull back. These were not assets my Brother, the Great Khan, could afford to gamble and lose.If someone didn't call that bluff, he was also sending two smaller, older corvettes and three even smaller, but newer, fast attack boats, a "gift" to the Unionists ASAP. The frigates would then race home, they had 'other' issues to deal with while the submarines would hang around for a bit. The naval gift was necessitated by the reality the Unionists would have to press their claim to their off-shore riches and that required a naval force Angola couldn't hope to counter.As things were developing, it was reckoned since a build-up of such momentous land and air power couldn't be disguised, it had to happen in a matter of days ~ four was decided to be the minimum amount of time. More than that and the government of the Democratic Republic might start asking far too many questions our hefty bribes and dubious paperwork couldn't cover. Less than that would leave the task forces launching operations with too little a chance of success.Our biggest advantage was audacity. The buildup would happen 100 km up the Congo River from Soyo, the primary target of the Southern Invasion, in the DRC's second largest port city, Boma. Though across the river was Angolan territory, there was nothing there. The city of roughly 160,000 would provide adequate cover for the initial stage of the invasion.There they grouped their vehicles & Khanate drivers with Amazon and Vietnamese combat teams. The Japanese were doing the same for their 'Chinese' counterparts for their helicopter-borne forces. Getting all their equipment in working order in the short time left was critical as was creating some level of unit dynamic. Things were chaotic. No one was happy. They were all going in anyway.What had gone wrong?While most children her age were texting their schoolmates, or tackling their homework, Aya Ruger ~ the alias of Nasusara Assiyaiá hamai ~ was getting briefings of her global, secret empire worth hundreds of billions and those of her equally nefarious compatriots. She received a very abbreviated version of what the Regents received, delivered by a member of Shawnee Arinniti's staff.When Aya hopped off her chair unexpectedly, everyone tensed. Her bodyguards' hands went to their sidearms and Lorraine (her sister by blood), also in the room on this occasion, stood and prepared to tackle her 'former' sibling to the ground if the situation escalated into an assassination attempt. No such attack was generated, so the security ratcheted down and the attendant returned her focus to her Queen. Aya paced four steps, turned and retraced her way then repeated the action three more times."How many people live in the combined areas?" she asked."The combined areas? Of Cabinda and Zaire?""Yes.""I," the woman referenced her material, "roughly 1.1 million.""What is the yearly value of the offshore oil and natural gas production?""Forty-nine billion, eighty hundred and sixty-seven million by our best estimates at this time,""How many live in Soyo City proper?""Roughly 70,000.""We take Soyo," she spoke in a small yet deliberate voice. "We take and hold Soyo as an independent city-state within the Cabindan-Zaire Union. From the maps it appears Soyo is a series of islands. It has a port and airport. It has an open border to an ocean with weaker neighbors all around.""What of the, Zairians?""Bakongo. As a people they are called the Bakongo," Aya looked up at the briefer. "We relocate those who need to work in Soyo into a new city, built at our expense, beyond the southernmost water barrier. The rest we pay to relocate elsewhere in Zaire, or Cabinda."By the looks of those around her, Aya realized she needed to further explain her decisions."This is more than some concrete home base for our People," she began patiently. "In the same way it gives our enemies a clearly delineated target to attack us, it is a statement to our allies we won't cut and run if things go truly bad.""In the same way it will provide us with diplomatic recognition beyond what tenuous handouts we are getting from Cáel Wakko Ishara's efforts through JIKIT. Also, it is a reminder we are not like the other Secret Societies in one fundamental way, we are not a business concern, or a religion. We are a People and people deserve some sort of homeland. We have gone for so long without.""But Soyo?" the aide protested. "We have no ties to it, and it backs up to, nothing.""Northern Turkey and southern Slovakia mean nothing to us now as well," Aya debated. "No place on Earth is any more precious than another. As for backing up to nothing, no. You are incorrect. It backs into a promise from our allies in the Earth & Sky that if we need support, they know where to park their planes and ships."Aya was surrounded with unhappy, disbelieving looks."The Great Khan is my mamētu meáeda," she reminded them, "and I have every reason to believe he completely grasps the concept's benefits and obligations."The looks confirmed 'but he's a man' to the tiny Queen."Aya, are you sure about this?" Lorraine was the first to break decorum."Absolutely. Do you know what he sent me when he was informed of my, ascension to the Queendom?""No," Lorraine admitted."We must go horse-riding sometime soon, Daughter of Cáel, Queen of the Amazons."More uncertain and unconvinced looks."He didn't congratulate me, or send any gifts. He could have and you would think he would have, but he didn't. He knew the hearts of me & my Atta and we weren't in the celebratory mood. No. The Great Khan sent one sentence which offered solace and quiet, atop a horse on a windswept bit of steppe."Nothing.Sigh. "I know this sounds Cáel-ish," Aya admitted, "but I strongly believe this is what we should do. We are giving the Cabindans and Bakongo in Zaire independence and the promise of a much better life than what they now face. We will be putting thousands of our sisters' lives on the line to accomplish this feat and well over two hundred million dollars.""What about governance of the city ~ Soyo?" the aide forged ahead."Amazon law," Aya didn't hesitate. "We will make allowances for the security forces of visiting dignitaries and specific allied personnel, but otherwise it will be one massive Amazon urban freehold.""I cannot imagine the Golden Mare, or the Regents, will be pleased," the attendant bowed her head."It is a matter of interconnectivity," Aya walked up and touched the woman's cheek with the back of her small hand. "We could liberate then abandon Cabinda with the hope a small band could help them keep their independence. Except we need the refinery at Soyo so the people of Cabinda can truly support that liberty.""So, we must keep Soyo and to keep Soyo, we must keep Zaire province. There is no other lesser border which makes strategic sense ~ a river, highlands, a massive river, an ocean ~ those are sustainable frontiers. You can't simply keep Soyo and not expect the enemy to strike and destroy that refinery, thus we must take Zaire province.""But the Bakongo of Zaire cannot defend themselves and will not be able to do so for at least a year, if not longer. That means we must do so, and for doing so, they will give us Soyo and we will be honest stewards of their oil wealth. We cannot expect any other power to defend this new Union and if we don't have a land stake we will be portrayed as mercenaries and expelled by hostile international forces.""So, for this project to have any chance of success, we must stay, fight and have an acknowledged presence, and if you can think of an alternative, please let me know," she exhaled."What if the Cabindans and Bakongo resist?""It is 'us', or the Angolans and they know how horrible the Angolans can be. Didn't you say the average person their lives on just $2 a day?""Yes.""We can do better than that," Aya insisted."How?" the aide persisted. "I mean, 'how in a way which will be quickly evident and meaningful?'""Oh," Aya's tiny brow furrowed. Her nose twitched as she rummaged through the vast storehouse of her brain."Get me in touch with William A. Miller, Director of the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service. He should be able to help me navigate the pathways toward getting aid and advisors into those two provinces ASAP.""I'll let Katrina know," the attendant made the notation on her pad."No. Contact him directly," Aya intervened. "We established a, rapport when we met. I think he might responded positively to a chance to mentor me in foreign relations.""Really?" Lorraine's brows arched."Yes," Aya chirped."Are you sure, Nasusara?" the attendant stared. She used 'Nasusara' whenever she thought Aya had a 'horrible' idea instead of a merely a 'bad' one."Yes. He owes me. Last time we met I didn't shoot him.""Didn't?" the woman twitched."Yes. I drew down on him with my captured Chinese QSW-06. I didn't want to kill him, but I felt I was about to have to kill Deputy National Security Advisor Blinken and he was the only other person in the room both armed and capable of stopping me.""Why is he still alive?""Cáel Ishara saw through my distraction and then took my gun from me, asked for it actually," she shyly confessed."Would you have shot him?" the aide inquired."What do you think?" Aya smiled.And Then:So, given t

Join John Bush on Live Free Now for an unfiltered conversation with Mike Cobb - world traveler, family man, and master of living unconventionally. From the intrigue of a bank in Belize and life in Central America to lively takes on politics, conspiracies, and personal legacy, this episode is packed with stories you won't hear anywhere else. Plus, catch a subtle teaser for an exclusive webinar happening on April 8th. Get ready for a fun, thought-provoking ride into the unexpected! Learn more: https://livefree.academy/op/webinar...  

Have you ever felt the weight of unseen battles? Patterns of fear, torment, or unfulfilled dreams seem to haunt your life no matter how hard you try to break free. What if these struggles are tied to spiritual gifts, generational callings, or even demonic forces that have been at work since childhood? The Bible promises that the truth brings freedom. By surrendering to Christ, we can overcome the enemy's schemes and step into the fullness of God's purpose. This episode of the Revelations Podcast uncovers a story of redemption, spiritual warfare, and the anointing of worship that's reaching the nations. Reagan Kramer welcomes Quintavius Johnson, a worship and gospel singer as well as American Idol finalist. Quintavius shares how intimacy with the Holy Spirit has guided him through every season. This isn't a conversation about music, —it's a deep dive into faith, obedience, and the supernatural work of God.This episode is for anyone longing to see how God moves in their life. Whether you're a believer wrestling with spiritual attacks, a believer yet adrift in your calling, or someone hungry for the Lord.Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode:Uncover the connection between spiritual gifts and personal struggles.Learn practical ways to deepen your intimacy with the Holy Spirit through prayer, fasting, and obedience.Explore how God uses unexpected platforms to spread the Gospel.Become Part of Our Mission! Support The Revelations Podcast:Your support fuels our mission to share transformative messages of hope and faith. Click here to learn how you can contribute and be part of this growing community!ResourcesMore from the Revelations Podcast hosted by Reagan Kramer: Website | Instagram | Apple Podcast | YoutubeQuintavious Johnson - Facebook | X | | Tiktok | InstagramBible Verses1 Corinthians 6:12Proverbs 3:5-6James 2:17James 4:6Hosea 4:61 Corinthians 4:20Proverbs 11:14 This Episode is brought to you by Advanced Medicine AlternativesGet back to the active life you love through natural & regenerative musculoskeletal healing: https://www.georgekramermd.com/Episode Highlights[0:50] Meeting Quintavius JohnsonQuintavius Johnson is a skilled worship and gospel singer.Quintavius traces his musical beginnings to his family and church, where he sang in the choir, and later joined Team NCM under Nicole C. Mullen's mentorship.He shares his pivotal moment at 11, choosing America's Got Talent over a Belize trip, becoming a finalist and facing the lure of secular success.Despite giving glory to God on the show, he admits to running from his calling, wanting freedom to chase his own desires while still loving Jesus.[05:41] God Redeems Quintavius's Childhood ExperiencesQuintavius reveals how international fame from America's Got Talent was misused for self-interest, a pattern God is now redeeming for His glory.[5:41] Quintavious: “After I fully submitted to Him, got saved, filled the Holy Ghost again, He now has allowed me to redeem that he is redeemed again. Now I was on the national, international stage, and I am making his name great, and it's for the purpose of God.”He opens up about misunderstood spiritual gifts—like seeing visions—initially confusing them for demonic or medium-like experiences due to lack of guidance.A turning point came when he surrendered fully to Christ, allowing God to refine these gifts for prophetic ministry and deliverance of others.Reagan connects this to listeners, noting how God's protection kept Quintavius from darker paths, now using his platform to win souls.[20:50] Demonic Torment During Early YearsQuintavius claims to have had chilling encounters with demons in elementary and middle school, like beds shaking and hearing hoof-like footsteps, fueling a spirit of fear.The enemy exploited his ignorance, tormenting him with nightmares and voices urging harm, aiming to silence his future calling.Quintavius credits the Holy Spirit for guiding him to fast and pray—sometimes for weeks—leading to physical deliverance, like vomiting out demonic influences.He mentions influential figures like Alexander Pagani and his pastor Shelley Morrison, whose teachings and hugs broke spiritual chains.Dreams once filled with torment became tools of deliverance as he rejected demonic offers in sleep, waking up free by God's power.[32:54] Bringing His Spiritual Gifts to the World StageQuintavius reluctantly joined American Idol after receiving persistent invitations. He sang “Alabaster Box” for judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan.He felt the song was a powerful movement—Katy cried, Lionel claimed he felt God's presence, and Luke likened it to a baptism—shifting the show's atmosphere.Behind the scenes, revival broke out: crew members and contestants got saved, atheists turned to Christ, and the theme changed from gladiators to classmates.[37:38] Quintavious: “They literally started calling it revival. It was such a revival of the love of God and of the power of the Holy Ghost that people want to get more.”Quintavious' performances are on his Instagram, demonstrating how his worship visibly carried the Holy Spirit to impact thousands.[42:28] God's Permission, or God's Plan?Quintavius reflects on a misstep during American Idol; he chose a song God permitted but didn't ordain, learning that lawful actions aren't always in line with God's wishes.Despite the permission, not following God's exact plan halted his progression. He learned to prioritize precise obedience over rationalized choices.[49:19] Reagan: “God's opening doors, well, why? Because you've been faithful, you've screwed up. He's the God of second chances.”He shares how God still redeemed this, as a viral “12 Days of Christmas” video in December 2024 brought greater reach than the show, saving lives and opening doors.[52:53] Staying Faithful to God's Call TodayQuintavius stresses prayer, fasting, and staying rooted in Scripture to balance his dual presence in gospel and secular spheres, keeping his focus on God's assignment.He credits his local church community for grounding him, offering safety in counsel and keeping pride at bay as his influence grows.[53:31] Quintavious: “I stay faithful to my church community. Having a community around you is important, you know, the multitude of counsel, there is safety.”His mission bridges worlds, bringing salvation to both gospel artists who don't live it and secular folks unaware of Jesus, acting as a “secret agent” for the Kingdom.Quintavius envisions God deepening his intimacy with the Spirit and expanding his ministry globally, not just in industry fame but in soul-winning across nations.He sees himself growing as a leader in the body of Christ, shaped by ongoing lessons in manhood and stewardship of his gifts.His local church remains vital, providing covering and training—like casting out demons in outreach—keeping him humble and accountable.[1:00:49] Encouraging the LonelyQuintavius encourages trusting God over self, rejecting the lie of isolation. God has a community for everyone.He advises praying for revelation of that community, warning against the enemy's tactic to isolate and confuse through lack of guidance.The body of Christ is collective, not solitary, and finding a church or group stirs gifts and offers support.Reagan prays for Quintavius, asking for strategic discernment, protection, and boldness to spread the gospel worldwide through his voice.Quintavius requests prayer to steward his transition well, avoiding procrastination and aligning with God's will as his influence rises.About QuintaviousQuintavius Johnson is a worship and gospel singer, prophetic minister, and dynamic voice for God's Kingdom, celebrated for his powerful testimony and anointed performances. Rising to fame as a finalist on America's Got Talent at age 12, he later captivated audiences on American Idol in 2024, where his singing sparked revival and led souls to Christ. With a background rooted in church choirs and a family of singers, Quintavius discovered his spiritual gifts early, navigating demonic torment and prophetic visions that God has since redeemed for deliverance and global ministry.Now 23, Quintavius bridges the secular and gospel worlds, using platforms like his viral “12 Days of Christmas” video to spread hope and salvation. A faithful servant in his local church, he ministers through worship, intercession, and outreach, drawing from years of intimacy with the Holy Spirit to cast out demons and ignite faith. Passionate about obedience and humility, Quintavius's journey equips believers to surrender fully, embrace their callings, and experience the transformative power of God's love.Connect with Quintavious through his social media platforms Facebook, X, Youtube, Tiktok and Instagram. Enjoyed this Episode?If you did, subscribe and share it with your friends!Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in about generational curses and how to break them, leave us a review. You can also share this with your friends and family. Discover how spiritual gifts and unseen battles might be shaping your life's struggles today. Learn how to surrender fully and step into God's purpose through the power of the Holy Spirit.Have any questions? You can connect with me on Instagram.Thank you for tuning in! For more updates, tune in on Apple Podcasts. 

Millionen-Deals: Nur ein Traum oder greifbare Möglichkeit? Kurze Einführung des Gastes: In dieser besonderen Folge des Erfolgspodcasts "TomsTalkTime.com" begrüßt Tom Alex Holtermann, einen Experten und Generalisten auf dem Gebiet der digitalen Transformation und Künstlichen Intelligenz. Alex hat auf fünf Kontinenten gelebt, mehr als die Hälfte der Länder der Welt bereist, mehrere Startups gegründet und eine eigene Kryptowährung mitentwickelt. Als Serienunternehmer ist er derzeit mit seinem neuen Unternehmen Mangoseed.ai im Silicon Valley tätig und unterstützt weltweit Organisationen bei der Implementierung von KI-Prozessen. Zusammenfassung: In diesem inspirierenden Interview teilt Alex Holtermann seine einzigartigen Erfahrungen und Perspektiven als moderner Entdecker und Unternehmer. Er spricht über seine umfangreichen Reisen, die Bedeutung von Offenheit für neue Möglichkeiten und seine Ansichten zur Rolle von Künstlicher Intelligenz in der Arbeitswelt. Das Gespräch beleuchtet sowohl die Chancen als auch die Herausforderungen, die mit der Nutzung von KI einhergehen, und bietet wertvolle Einblicke in die Zukunft der Arbeit und des Unternehmertums. ❇️ Key topics and bullets Einleitung und Vorstellung Begrüßung durch Tom Vorstellung von Alex Holtermann Überblick über Alex' Leben und Karriere Persönlicher Hintergrund von Alex Holtermann Persönliche Eigenschaften und Werte Lebensstil und Reisen Einfluss der Reisen auf das berufliche Umfeld Erfahrungen und Projekte Arbeiten in verschiedenen Ländern, z.B. USA und Peru Einfluss der Länder auf Alex' persönliche und berufliche Entwicklung Erinnerungen und Eindrücke aus verschiedenen Kulturen Unternehmerische Tätigkeiten und KI Entwicklung von Startups und Projekten Verwendung von KI in verschiedenen Bereichen Projekte zur digitalen Transformation, z.B. in äthiopischen Banken Technologische Entwicklungen und Innovationen Erfahrungen mit technologischen Innovationen Der Einfluss von KI auf verschiedene Industrien Forschung und Lehre Alex' Rolle als Dozent und Forscher Betreuen von Studenten und ihre Reaktionen auf KI Motivationen und Philosophie Unternehmerische Einstellungen und Denkweisen Lernen aus Fehlern und Herausforderungen im Leben Verbindung zwischen persönlichem Wachstum und beruflichem Erfolg Zukunftsvisionen und Empfehlungen Gedanken zur Rolle der KI in der Zukunft Empfehlungen für den bewussten Umgang mit Technologie Interaktive Fragerunde (Blitzlichtrunde) Persönliche Einsichten und Lektionen aus Alex' Erfahrung Gespräche über Networking und persönliche Zielsetzungen Abschlussgedanken und Kontaktmöglichkeiten Abschließende Tipps von Alex Informationen zur Kontaktaufnahme und weiteren Erforschung seiner Arbeiten Schlusswort: In dieser spannenden Episode inspiriert Alex Holtermann die Zuhörer, offen für Neues zu sein und die Chancen der digitalen Transformation zu nutzen. Seine Einsichten und Erlebnisse zeigen auf, wie wichtig es ist, stets offen für Möglichkeiten zu sein und die Welt mit Neugier zu erkunden.   Ausführliche Einführung des Gastes: Alex ist ein moderner Entdecker mit einer beeindruckenden Liste an Referenzen: Er hat auf fünf Kontinenten gelebt und gearbeitet und dabei mehr als die Hälfte aller Länder der Welt erkundet. Mit seinem Master-Abschluss in Politikwissenschaften, einem MBA und zwei Doktortiteln in der Tasche (im März kommt Nr. 3 hinzu ;-))) lehrt er heute als Dozent an einer der größten privaten Hochschulen Deutschlands Design Thinking & Business Model Innovation, Trend- und Innovationsmanagement, Controlling & Wirtschaftsethik und Künstliche Intelligenz. Zudem berät Alex auch Unternehmen, wie aktuell eine Bank in Äthiopien, bei der Umstellung ihrer Prozesse auf KI. Dank seiner Greator/Gedankentanken Speaker-Ausbildung hält er auch Keynotes über Künstliche Intelligenz, Digitale Transformation & Prozessoptimierung und über das Erlernen von Erfolg. Alex ist ein globaler digitaler Nomade europäisch-deutscher Abstammung, der mit einem Fulbright-Stipendium für ein Studium in den USA ausgezeichnet wurde und dort für einen US-Senator an politischen Initiativen gearbeitet hat. Durch diese Zeit ist Alex gewissermaßen in den USA "hängen geblieben" und daher zieht er sich seit rund zwanzig Jahren immer wieder gern in den nordwestlichsten Punkt der kontinentalen USA in sein zweites Zuhause zum Schreiben seiner Bücher und zum Forschen zurück. Fast 25 Jahre lang unterstütze er Belize ehrenamtlich als Honorarkonsul des Landes in Deutschland. In diesem karibischen Paradies, das mit seiner Schönheit alle in seinen Bann zieht, unterstützte er Regierungs- und Nichtregierungsorganisationen bei ihren kontinuierlichen Entwicklungsbemühungen. Mit seiner Erfahrung im Bankwesen, durch seine Tätigkeiten an der Börse in Frankfurt und in zahlreichen Führungspositionen ist Alex ein Serienunternehmer mit einem beeindruckenden Lebenslauf. Er hat mehrere Startups gegründet und eine Blockchain-basierte Kryptowährung mitentwickelt und sich damit einen festen Platz in der Tech-Branche erobert. Aktuell baut er mit MangoSeed.ai Inc. im Silicon Valley ein neues Startup auf, um KI-Entwicklungen für KMU umzusetzen. Darüber hinaus hat er mehrere Bücher geschrieben (eines davon ein Bestseller) und sich vor Kurzem noch tiefer in die akademische Welt begeben, um sich weiter zu qualifizieren und für seine nächste Doktorarbeit über den Einsatz KI zur Optimierung von Solarenergie zu forschen. Alex ist ein begeisterter Outdoor-Fan mit einer großen Portion Abenteuerlust, so ist er auch Tauchlehrer und technischer Taucher. Während seiner Zeit in Hongkong stieß er auf das Solo Wheel und begann damit, sich mit E-Mobilität zu beschäftigen und gründete in Deutschland ein lokal erfolgreiches Unternehmen für E-Scooter. Nachdem er viele Jahre in Asien, Nord- und Südamerika sowie in Afrika gelebt hat, ist das Leben für diesen energiegeladenen Menschen, der jede Begegnung mit anderen Menschen aus jeder Kultur genießt und jeden Tag mit offenen Armen begrüßt, niemals langweilig geworden. Dein größter Fehler als Unternehmer?: 1. Ungeduld. 2. Zu viele Baustellen gleichzeitig. Was an 1. liegt. Ich will Dinge erreichen und umsetzen - darin bin ich schnell und gut. Nur leider kommt meine Umwelt da nicht immer mit - darin muss ich besser werden. Deine Lieblings-Internet-Ressource?: Claude.ai von Anthropic - konkret Opus3. Ein hervorragendes KI-Tool zum Schreiben, v.a. für Sachbücher. Und: selbes Feld - hier aber für Nicht-Sachbücher / Fiktion / Romane: Sudowrite.com. Und auch https://www.make.com/ => perfektes Tool zur Prozessautomation, für Workflows usw. Genial!   Deine beste Buchempfehlung: Buchtitel 1: Scary Smart - The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World; Mo Gawdat   Buchtitel 2: Künstliche Intelligenz in Unternehmen - die große Chane für den Mittelstand! und Transparente Künstliche Intelligenz - sicherer Einsatz in Unternehmen! Autor 2: Alexander Holtermann weitere Empfehlung: Mein Interview mit Künstlicher Intelligenz: Menschen und KI haben mehr gemeinsam als Du vielleicht denkst! (German Edition)   Kontaktdaten des Interviewpartners: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-holtermann/ https://www.holtermann-consulting.com/ https://www.nterion.de https://MangoSeed.ai >>> Als Goodie für unsere Hörer zum kostenlosen Download (unten Deine Email-Adresse zum Download eintragen):   https://form.jotform.com/231795638580367   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mehr Freiheit, mehr Geld und mehr Spaß mit DEINEM eigenen Podcast. Erfahre jetzt, warum es auch für Dich Sinn macht, Deinen eigenen Podcast zu starten. Jetzt hier zum kostenlosen Podcast-Workshop anmelden: https://Podcastkurs.com +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++     Hol Dir jetzt Dein Hörbuch "Selfmade Millionäre packen aus" und klicke auf das Bild!   So fing alles an. Hier geht´s zur allerersten Episode von TomsTalkTime.com – DER Erfolgspodcast. Und ja, der Qualitätsunterschied sollte zu hören sein. Aber hey, das war 2012…

Chaque semaine dans Destination RTL, Bernard Sabbah vous transporte vers des horizons lointains et vous inspire pour vos prochaines escapades. Dans cette nouvelle chronique, cap sur le Belize, un joyau niché entre le Mexique et le Guatemala, bordé par la mer des Caraïbes. Bernard partage ses coups de cœur, comme le spectaculaire Great Blue Hole, et ses bons plans pour un séjour éco-responsable inoubliable. Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Vincent, Buffy and other family matter.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels. It is selfish to believe that your family will always love you. At some point you will be asked to earn it The main front was stabilizing. The 2nd Army was in tough shape though all three divisions were still in the fight. The 1st Army's 2nd and 9th Divisions had corked up the advances out of Cambodia. As soon as night fell, they would maneuver the majority of the 2nd Division to crush the Alliance forces north of Bangkok. The rioters would be crushed tomorrow morning. They would survive.This realization came too late to them. The rot of fear had infected the 1st Army, 1st Division and the police force commands. Of more importance, a small group of secretive individuals convinced two senior Thai officers that something had to be done before the city fell, or the Prime Minister reasserted control over the city.Those two conspirators had the same problem as the Loyalists, enemy troops and protestors in the street. Those officers had no way to contact the crucial enemy commanders, but they knew who did, the Indian Navy. Surreptitiously, they contacted the Indian Navy's Expeditionary Fleet. The fleet's Admiral quickly put them in touch with the Alliance Command Authority and within two hours, a deal was made.The Great Khan would stop the Alliance offensive if the King of Thailand made a public appeal, no strings attached. This new group of rebels and the Alliance worked out the path they needed to take to reach the King so that the Alliance forces were out of the way and no planes, or helicopter attacked their formations. They even had a TV station that would broadcast the King's speech ending the conflict. All they needed was nightfall.And that was the true story of how the counter-coup was pulled off, how the King of Thailand was able to talk to the Great Khan and how the Thai government was overthrown. In the final analysis, the Loyalist hadn't fallen before the might of the Alliance. They were done in by a tiny number of Black Lotus operative almost no one knew existed, with a small amount of assistance from JIKIT."No wonder the Seven Pillars has never been able to wipe out these guys," Addison yawned. "They are slippery as eels and thrice as lethal. I am glad they are on our side." Several sets of eyes looked at her skeptically. "I mean, I am glad we are currently working toward the same goals."Thus,"I suggest we all get some sleep," Addison declared as she stood up and stretched.Odette was comfortably asleep, so I curled her up and carried her to the elevator. I wanted to go home and forget that I had lost any semblance of a normal life. I didn't know what was worse; me doing the shit I was doing, or me understanding what I was doing. Juanita had gone down ahead of us to pull the car around to the front.Chaz, Pamela, Odette and I went down in the first wave of the exodus from the workplace. The door opened on the ground floor. I wasn't the first person to notice her. My reflexes had improved to the point I had a moment to recognize her before the people around me sprang into action.Pamela side-stepped to the right, pistol mystically appearing in her two-hand grip. Chaz, Chaz bore Odette and me to the ground. His level of dedication astonished me. He was shielding us with his body. From what, I hadn't been able to determine."Deadman switch," one of my aunts stated. "I want to talk with Cáel." The voice had a stressed tenor to it."Back outside," Pamela simmered."No.""Chaz, what is going on?" I asked him. He hadn't moved and wasn't letting me wiggle around to see."Explosive vest," he responded coolly. That's right. Chaz was shielding Odette and me with his body.That is what I found astonishing, his desire to give his life for me. His expectation that Pamela could kill the threat while he was currently occupied was understandable."We seem to be at an impasse," Pamela edged further away.She wasn't avoiding the blast radius. That was impossible in this lobby. No, if it came to firing, she was making it easier for Chaz to get a shot off since the shooter couldn't cover both angles of attack."Let me talk to him," my aunt insisted. This made no sense."Chaz, let me deal with this," I told my bodyguard."Are you sure?" he questioned."Not really. As Pamela said, she's not going to let any of us leave until she talks to me and if you kill her, she kills all of you." Chaz let me stand.Odette was just awakening to the threat. Chaz rose to stand by my side. (Sadly, Odette didn't rate him dying for her.) I prayed I didn't fuck this up."Cáel, is that really you?" the women with green eyes and red hair asked me. She sounded desperate, which would explain the suicide vest."Yeah, which one are, Mom?"{9:10 pm, Tuesday, September 2nd ~ 6 Days to go}"Yes, I'm Sibeal. Are you my son?""Do you mean   No! Grandfather Cáel hasn't supplanted my spirit with his own," I took a deep breath. "I'm not sure how I can convince you of this.""Do you miss your Father?" she queried."Yes," I murmured."Ahh Cáel, you are still my son. Thank all that is divine," she sighed."Care to deactivate the vest now?" Pamela suggested."Do you promise not to shoot me? You two, and the one sneaking up on me from behind." She meant Juanita, who had sensed the danger and exited the car."You are three kinds of crazy, so I'm not making any guarantees," Pamela answered."Pamela   Chaz, I really think she is my mother. And I assume she is here to kill Cáel O'Shea, not me," I interjected. I still wasn't leaving Chaz' side. "Please don't kill her.""No guarantees," Chaz affirmed."She's his mother," Odette chimed in. "If it was anyone else, they would be in a cloud of bodyguards, not alone.""Here is the deal, Mom. You deactivate the vest, then we will talk. Otherwise, I'm taking my security's advice and backing the fuck out of here.""Okay," she nodded. "It's a fake. I'm upset, but not enough to be suicidal. I wanted to see what you would do. Father would have sacrificed everyone else. You got tackled and you obeyed the man who was trying to save your life.""Chaz, what do you think?" Pamela asked him."We could hold her here until Virginia shows up. That would give Cáel a few minutes to reminisce before she gets dragged off to the looney bin." (That would, of course, lead to her death while in Federal custody   so that wasn't happening, period.)"I concur," Pamela agreed. She still had her gun out and aimed. She went to a one-handed grip so she could motion Juanita to come inside.I took the opportunity to walk around Chaz, though I only advanced half way."I think it is asking too much from my bodyguards to walk up to you with that vest lying at your feet," I pointed. "You know   just in case you are lying." She nodded, smiled and came forward. A hug was in the offing. I almost missed Odette coming up behind me."I'm on a timetable," Mom murmured into my shoulder. "You know why.""I am afraid I do," (my pheromones were already affecting her). "What brought this on? How long can you stay?""The kidnapping made it imperative. But this has been my first opportunity to get close enough to you to determine if my father had won, or not," she confessed."I'm not sure how long I can remain ~ maybe a day, or three. I have heard you have an upcoming ordeal you must go through for your Amazons." Odette again by way of Delilah. I decided to give Delilah the benefit of the doubt and just accept that she did what she did because she was worried about me."Oh. Mom, this is Odette Sievert, my roommate and all-around better friend than I deserve." Odette extended her hand. Mom reached past me and shook it."Nice to finally meet you in person," Mom smiled."Nice to realize you aren't as nutty as the rest of the bunch,and considering you came at Pamela and Chaz with a fake suicide vest   that is saying something," Odette grinned."My son is all I have left of Ferko (my dad)," she grew grim. "If my father stole him after killing my husband   I wouldn't know how to carry on.""Aaahh," Odette stammered through this tense family moment. "You are about to be a grandmother in a serious way," she tried to turn things around. "How does a dozen grandkids sound?"Operational security and secret information were concepts Odette was aware of. She simply refused to use either one."Really?" Mom looked from Odette to me. "How serious?""How about we get out of here before the FBI shows up," I began directing my mom out the doors."Cáel?" Chaz questioned."Hey now, I never agreed to hand my mom over to Virginia. The vest was fake. Let's not dwell on this," I urged Mom and Odette out the door."Ishara," Juanita repeatedly prayed, "why do you test me so?"Chaz and Pamela showed their faith in me and my decision-making ability by tagging along. For me, what does a son who hasn't spent any time with his mother since he was seven (because she was supposedly dead for the past fifteen years) ask first?Actually, we waited for Chaz, who had the presence of mind to ensure the vest was truly a dud and then called Virginia so she could clean up one of my messes   yet again."Thank you, Color Sergeant," Mom looked toward Chaz as the GL 550 pulled away from One Mi Ma1 Tower. Unfortunately, the look he sent her way wasn't friendly."Thanks for reminding me," I nodded to Mom. "Chaz, what in the Hell possessed you to jump on Odette and me? I appreciate it,""Me too," Odette chimed in."But please don't do that ever again. Of all the, let's just say I have too many deaths of people I like on my mind. I don't want you added to that list.""Tough.""Well, thanks for considering my request," I groaned."Chaz, three nights ago our boy learned that one of the women he knocked up is going to die and no one will intervene to save her life and they won't tell him where she is," Pamela let him know."Who do we talk to?" he asked me. By 'talk' I assumed he meant torture until they coughed up a viable location/suspect."The Goddess Ishara.""Fuck. I apologize, Cáel. That is hard news for a young man like you to take. As for my jumping on you   suck it up. It is my job to make sure you can do yours.""Juanita," Pamela called out. "Stop driving to Havenstone. Take us back to Cáel's place. He won't let the Amazons take his mother, which means I won't let them, which means Chaz won't let them. Besides, Odette could get killed in the cross-fire and too many people like her for that to be safe for any would-be assassin.""Really?" Odette perked up. Of course she wasn't worried about being killed. Odette was fascinated that people found her valuable   enough to kill anyone who killed her. She'd more fully grasp that curse later on. She was a genuinely nice person. What Pamela left unsaid was that if 'people' thought someone might kill Odette, they would 'proactively' protect her. Too many people she now hung out with were of that stripe of crazy."Pamela, would you miss me if I got killed?" Odette turned to the most dangerous person in the car. (I didn't think Mom was in her league, but then I had never seen her fight, so I was keeping an open mind.)"You bet your ass, Baby-cakes," she grinned at my super-kind sidekick."Me too," Chaz added gruffly. "Of greater importance, Addison would take umbrage. Next to Ms. Love, she's the nastiest bitch I've ever met." He meant that as a compliment."Not Lady Yum   I meant Worthington-Burke?" I inquired."She doesn't take things personally. She'd miss Odette, but not enough to move off-mission," Chaz explained."Let's not forget Buffy," Pamela snorted. "What she lacks in experience she makes up for by being totally psychotic and fanatically loyal to Wakko here. People who piss him off tend to end up as a place holder on the Obituary page.""Unless they never find the bodies," Juanita commented   from her personal experience disposing of people for me. Groan."Cáel, I am so happy I met you," Odette hugged my arm. "My life was going nowhere before you gave me your phone number. Now, I know my life is at risk and I don't care. Being with you has been more wonderful than I ever thought possible."Mom was studying me, both pleased and worried."What?" I asked."You have a lot of your grandfather in you. He did have a gift for inspiring the best out of people. You are like your father in that you care for those people   caring for both their lives and their happiness. Your father inspired that same kind of loyalty because he kept the needs of his people in the forefront of his mind.""Dad was like Grandpa?" I worried."Hell no." That was Pamela."Thank the Divine, no," Mom exhaled at the same time. "How do you know my father?""I killed him," Pamela grinned."You were the one? I'm, I don't know what to think," Mom murmured."Keep that in mind before you try to pull another stunt like you did tonight," Pamela's grin grew feral."Pamela is the best Grandmother I could ever hope for," I explained."Spiritually speaking," Odette tried to lighten the mood (she was a cracker-jack morale officer). "Otherwise it would make Cáel's having sex with her granddaughters rather, suspect.""Odette, you can say 'incestuous'," Mom gave a half-grin. "Do you know much about my family?""Your Pa created you and your sisters to be fuck-toys who also ran errands for him," Odette nodded. "They are all loonies.""Don't share that view with them," Mom cautioned. "When we last met, they had a highly under-developed sense of humor and a well-cultivated mean streak.""Gotcha," Odette giggled. "After dealing with the Slayers of Testicles numbers 1 & 2, I have learned what kind of wacky girls Cáel attracts without even trying.""I really should make sure Mr. Fiennes is okay," I reminded myself."You would do better catching up with that girl down the hall. The Korean takeout girl also asked about you", offered Odette. Yeah, the girl in 3-F baked me some cookies when Dad was murdered."How many grandchildren are we talking about?" Mom looked at me with some serious maternal affection."Who are the Slayers of Testicles?" Juanita wanted to know. My family jewels belonged to House Ishara   at least in her and her sisters' estimation."Oneida's bodyguards," Odette let slip out before she saw the warning look in my eyes."You are sleeping with the apprentice of House Arinniti?" gasped Juanita   I was hoping her questioning wasn't hurting her driving. "What about the 84 day rule?""I'd better not bring up Rhada," Odette nodded thoughtfully."I'm going to spank you," I growled at Odette."Was that aimed at me?" Juanita."Yippee, and we are going home now, too!" Odette squealed."Not you, Juanita   Odette. I want to teach her how to 'not say' whatever pops up in her head," I grumbled."You promised to punish me!" she beamed brightly. "Punish me! Punish me!""Uuuuuuu," I beat my cranium against the headrest in front of me."I thought she was the 'nice' girl," Mom chided me."She was," Pamela smirked. "Unfortunately, she's been totally corrupted by your son.""Yep," Odette agreed. "He's opened up a whole new horizon of things sexual for me.""Son, how many women are you seeing? I thought you were engaged." Mom."Uuuuuuu," I repeated."I'll take care of this," Chaz intervened calmly. "He is as loyal as he can be   within the bounds of his limited moral arsenal   to Hana Sulkanen. So he is sexually and romantically involved with Brooke Lee and Libra Chalmers, civilians he met through contacts at Havenstone. There is Anais Saint-Armour, RCMP, who departed this weekend,""She'll be back," Pamela assured Mom. "They always come back at least once.""Who has only come back just once?" Chaz laconically questioned Pamela."Good point," Pamela acceded. "They keep coming back until he changes the locks, his phone number and address." That made no sense,"I am glad you two are my friends," I groused. "I'd hate to think what you would say about me if you hated me.""You're welcome," Pamela grinned."Ms. Marla Chalmers," Chaz continued without missing a beat, "Libra's younger sibling, who your son indubitably impressed while in college; three teachers at an exclusive school, he met them while body-guarding a group of children; an assistant manager of a hotel he stayed at; six attractive, college-educated European young women,""Don't forget the Macedonian!" Pamela interjected."I have removed her from the list because she has no reliable way to hunt down our boy," he explained."Good point," Pamela nodded."They like busting your chops, don't they?" Mom smiled."As opposed to physically busting my chops   this I can live with.""You have matured nicely. Your father would be very pleased   quietly, of course.""Thank you Mom." She knew the man better than I ever would."We won't count the 189 Amazons who have staked a claim to him for the next nine days," Chaz added."What! 189? When did that happen?""The thirty huntresses and the 159 members of House Ishara," Pamela clued me in."159? When did that happen?" I gasped again. I was repeating myself   not good. I knew I had told Buffy to 'keep up the good work', but still, House Ishara wasn't even two months old yet."They are the best of the roughly 20,000 Runners in the Host and thus, all are serious bad-ass bitches," Pamela assured me. "I think Helena would like you to explore a few more heroic Runners who have since passed.""Passed?" Mom."Cáel sees dead people," Odette beamed."So does his Aunt Baibre," Mom said."Met her, came off a bit, off," I confirmed."That's Baibre. What other ones have you met, besides Deidre and Brianna?"She was asking if I had met others outside of Delilah's watchful eye."Hmm, Imogen, Kelly and Matilda.""Okay. You haven't met the bad ones yet," Mom nodded. I was stunned yet again. Not by what Mom said, but by,"The 'bad ones'?" Pamela inquired. "They come in shades worse than Kelly and Matilda?""I'm with you on that. Those two were unsettling," Chaz agreed. Holy Shit! Pamela and Chaz were agreeing that two of my aunts had them worried on a tactical level. So 'not good' for me, since I couldn't take either of my friends. Bad-bad."Fiona is the worst. She is the second youngest of my generation and by far the most lethal. She was Father's pet.""Oh joy," I sighed."Is she bulletproof?" Chaz inquired."Not quite, but she is definitely hard to kill. She has a greater share of Alal while remaining sane.""Oh, she's the sane one?" Juanita joined in."On that side of his family, sane is a relative term." Thanks, Odette."Relative to how far your cock is into them?" Pamela snorted."Hold on now," I interrupted the jocularity. "What do you mean   'your generation'   'the second youngest'   what happened to the youngest   and when you say 'worst', define 'worst'."Pamela's phone rang."Father created three generations of daughters and sons. Carrig was the 'success' on the male side of the equation."Uncle Lumpy was the 'success'? What had the other uncles been like   idiot cyclops cannibals?"He destroyed all the rest.""Please clarify," Chaz studied my mother. "Your father murdered his own children?""Yes. All but one of the 36 sons. He kept Carrig around as a reminder to not create any more sons. The first generation of daughters were all 'failures'.""You mean dead?" Odette gulped."Yes   dead now, though he viewed all of us as property, not human beings.""Consider Grandad's low opinion of humanity, that's extra tragic," I put an arm around Odette. Pamela was muffling her conversation."Of the second generation of daughters, only Aunt Faoiltiama was kept around. I always had the impression her soul wasn't entirely human. She is rather primitive and predatory. A less horrifically unbalanced Carrig   physically that is. Carrig was somewhat more erudite.""Wow, I don't know what to think of that," I mumbled."Of my generation, eleven of us were allowed to live. Kelly and Maitilda are the most physically dangerous. That was their purpose   killing things.""Trained in combat styles by Cáel's grandfather?" Chaz looked, depressed."Yes. The four of us were. Fiona was the only one I couldn't best.""I would like to spar with you when it is convenient," Chaz requested."Okay. You deserve to know how bad it can be," she nodded. "Of the rest, Una was the youngest, the most human and humane. She was Father's final failure. I was never sure why he kept her alive.""For Cáel to rescue, of course," Odette insisted. Crap. She was right. By the horrified look on my Mother's face, she knew Odette was correct as well.Alal had let Una live as a contingency card, in case I was a soft-hearted sap. In hindsight, it was obvious. The innocent damsel trapped in a madhouse, at the mercy of her fiendish kinfolk, she was a perfect weapon to make me do stupider shit than normal."Damn," Mom muttered. "Anyway, Briana is the most willful and the family's representative to the Illuminati. Deidre is the most sedate, so she handles the normal business interests that we are allowed to know about. Darcie had Alal's hunger for lost and forbidden lore. In her case, it is all-consuming. She has memorized much of Father's collection.""She is rather good at it too   or was when I last saw her. Imogen is our tactician and oversees the O'Shea's bodyguard contingent. She has Father's ability to choose the best men and women, to train them to a razor's edge and to inspire fanatic loyalty.""Sadhbba: she is Father's spy master; with the exceptionally eerie talents of subterfuge, deceit and finding the weakness in others. She and I did not get along. Fiona could do it all, except for my talent.""Which is?" Chaz took over, since Pamela was waving me over for a close, quiet chat concerning her phone call."Fiona was an updated version of me. She was slightly better at everything I could do, except for one thing. I had Father's sixth sense about things. Fiona did not, and that was the reason she hated me so much. Father stoked our internal conflicts to keep us all on edge.""Good to know," Chaz understated his concern. "Do you have any intelligence on how, when and with what your father will come after our boy?" I wasn't insulted by the 'our boy' moniker. He wasn't calling me a child. He was telling Mom that I was 'one of the boys'   on his team. I felt all warm and tingly. My dearth of long-term male friends had meant I had never really been in a fraternity   the close brotherhood of men   before."Problem for you to deal with," Pamela handed me the phone. "It is Tabitha Loire." Tabitha? Vincent's   FBI Special Agent Vincent Lorie's   drop-dead gorgeous daughter. He had taken more than one bullet in Romania. I hadn't heard from him since that morning at the hospital, before being whisked away to the US via Germany. I remained a lousy friend."Hello? Who is this?" the weary, angry voice on the other end of the connection spoke."Cáel Nyilas. Tabitha Loire, what can I do for you?""What can you tell me about my Father?""Oh God! He is not dead, is he?" I grunted. Pause."No. No, Da is okay. He was released from the hospital a week ago. I would like to talk to you about what happened to him overseas.""He won't tell you?""No. Neither will his boss, or any of his acquaintances. Mr. Nyilas, he is down in the dumps and I want to know what I can do to help out. If you are his friend, you should help."I couldn't blame her for being both bitter and exasperated. She had run full tilt into the Great Wall of National Security and been stopped cold."How about I come down and talk to you?" I offered. "What I can tell you shouldn't go out over a phone and I have been remiss in not catching up with your father sooner.""Umm, when?""I'll take the next train down tonight," I decided. "We'll arrange some vehicles at the station. What is your address?" She hesitated. After all, she had Pamela's number, not mine and I was tied into her father being shot   badly. She gave me the address, her desire to know what happened overcoming her caution when dealing with strangers. "I'll give you a call when we arrive in Alexandria.""Train?" Juanita griped. Chaz pulled out his phone and called Agent-86 for both the next train from Penn Station to Alexandria and an update to Virginia and the Homeland Security people for clearance to bring along our ironmongery. Pamela looked at me with pride. So did Mom. Whatever Juanita's opinion of me was, it was concealed by her call to someone else   probably updating Buffy on my itinerary."Vincent was the Federal Agent who was wounded at Miercurea Ciuc?" asked Mom."I need to have a talk with Delilah," Pamela glowered."I want to be in the room when you do," Chaz agreed."Juanita   Penn Station and call someone at Executive Services to pick up our car. Long term parking there is a bitch," I related.Was it? I had no idea, but Alal apparently did. I had been to Penn Station three times; and I never had a vehicle that needed a parking space. All three times, Havenstone sent a car to pick me up. That was for my preliminary and final interviews, plus handling all the paperwork after I got the job.I'd left Bolingbrook in a U-Haul truck (without much in it) a week before starting work. I had an iron-clad belief I could find a place to live within that time span. That was all the time and money I had allotted to that endeavor. My budget had been tight, or so I believed.Unlike the other four chuckleheads who joined the New Directive, I hadn't received a signing bonus. Maybe I should have asked for one. Too late for that now."You taking your mother to meet Vincent?" Odette poked me. I looked from Pamela to Odette then back again.Sneaky-ass bitches. They were introducing my widowed Mother to a really nice, mature guy who was brave, a good father, a widower and all-around stand-up guy. He had a ready-made family, an oldest daughter my age. Beyond some physical similarities, Vincent was not much like Dad. Dad was a quiet, private man.By the nature of his job as a Field Agent, Vincent had to possess superior communication skills. Physically, they were nearly the same height, but Dad was broader in the shoulders. On the other hand, Vincent had both a warrior's spirit and the skills to back it up.But why Mom? Her life was more a disaster than mine, and mine was colossally fucked up."Don't get any ideas," Pamela put out there. Was she talking to me? "Chaz and I don't like you. Your father is a rat-bastard with a mind like a snake. We have no idea if you are yet another one his plots to get at Cáel."They were still taking her with us as we went to see Vincent in Virginia. Since this was going to be a quick trip   I had to be back at Havenstone at 6 a.m.   no clothing was necessary. Chaz received a call from Agent-86 with a follow-up call as we pulled up to the station. I didn't know the nature of the second call until we went to pick up our tickets for the 10:05 Northeast Regional.Waiting there was my old buddy and now sister, Wilma Draper/Ishara. I was at a loss why. It wasn't as if I needed more firepower than Juanita, Chaz and Pamela in the confined environment of a train."Wilma?""Hello Ish   Cáel," she smiled. She was emotionally pumped."What are you doing here?""Oh... Buffy told me that I was to be here on assignment to fulfill an Isharan obligation." This would be Wilma's first mission for House Ishara, no matter how brief and danger-free it might be. She was ecstatic.Huh? I couldn't recall any obligation I owed Buffy, or Vincent. Unlike every other Amazon House, things regularly happened without the Head of House's knowledge. Face facts: I was the least prepared leader the Host had ever had. I compensated by having hyper-competent underlings   the very best of the best Runners-turned-Full-blooded Amazons."Ah," Pamela nodded, sensing my loss of understanding, "A promise to provide Vincent a bodyguard was made in your presence. Being the highest ranking member of the Host present, and failing to pass on that knowledge, it falls to your House to answer that pledge.""Wilma, you are here to be Vincent Loire's bodyguard?""Only temporarily. The current state of affairs at HQ won't allow me to take more than three days leave. Your 'First' is seeking another appropriate Isharan for the task."I had totally dropped the ball.The initiative to bring JIKIT and the Amazons together was my creation. Katrina had approved it, yet it was my status as Chief Diplomat of the Host (as I had redefined that role,) that was responsible for that group, and thus Vincent. There was also another undercurrent to providing Vincent an Amazon bodyguard. I would be sending Vincent the message that he was still a valuable member of the team. His infirmity was simply a temporary difficulty.I gave Javiera a call. I suddenly needed to know Vincent's status with the FBI. A little past Philadelphia, she called back. Vincent was on long-term leave and, barring a positive physical assessment, he would never be going back into the field. They were making him a desk jockey for the rest of his career. That would be a heavy enough blow to the man to put him in the dumps.I made my view clear. As Unpaid Honcho Assigned to Unit L &  U HAUL, I wanted Vincent on my team   JIKIT's field team. I had plenty of lethal shooters. I needed a trained investigator and a veteran lawman to keep us aware of the niceties the world's legal systems wished to live by. I finished that off with a very regal "Make it so!" Javiera, my boss, hung up on me; though I thought I caught a laugh before the connection was cut."Pamela," Chaz turned to Pamela, "I am proud to call him 'brother'.""I think he is coming along nicely, Grandson Charles," Pamela preened. Wha- huh? My family had grown yet again. Grown yet again with people who were better than me."Does that make Aya your niece?" a sleepy Odette smiled."I guess it does," he nodded."Aya will love you," Pamela smiled."I hope Caitlyn loves him too," I smirked."A man could do worse than marrying an Amazon," Chaz blithely retorted. Less I forget, the Tomorrow Clan had its own long warrior tradition."Asking it to be three thousand years long is a bit too much," Pamela agreed with what I had not spoken aloud."On the plus side," I began."He's also getting several frisky sisters-in-law," Pamela finished. Hi-Five."Super Twin Powers Activate!" we proclaimed loudly.Fuck Ishara for taking Tad fi from me. I could be just like my Father. I could bleed off my pain with humor and look at my daughter with untainted love."When I grow up, I want to be just like you," Odette yawned. Which one of us she wanted to emulate wasn't clear.{Wounded, but not forgotten}{2:00 am, Wednesday, September 3rd ~ 5 Days to go}The tickets were one-way. Katrina was having a private jet come down at 4 a.m. to fetch me. We arrived in DC at 1:30. Two bleary-eyed State Department flunkies met us with an S U V and a sedan. We took the S U V ~ we had seven people ~ while they drove the sedan back so they could try to make something of the night that duty had destroyed.They looked curious about what this was all about and were a bit disappointed that no explanation was forthcoming from our crowd. We were polite, and I thanked them for their service. Being a decent human being doesn't cost you much and can pay serious dividends.The drive to Casa de Loire took thirty minutes. Juanita informed me the small airport I would be flying out of was a twenty minute drive, so I had roughly an hour and half with Vincent and his family. When we arrived, Juanita sent Wilma to make a 'walk-around' Vincent's home so she could get the lay of the land as well as keep an eye out for voyeurs.Pamela saved another series of frowns from Juanita by being the first person to the door. Tabitha had called her after all. Tabitha, Vincent's oldest and a Georgetown University senior, clearly didn't know what to make of us, and we weren't making it any easier for her by showing up on her stoop three hours after she had called Pamela.It wasn't going to get better. For starters, Juanita (and the not visible Wilma) had a MP-7A1. Ya know  military-grade weaponry. The door opened halfway. It was Gretchen Loire, the middle daughter."Hello. May I help you?" That wasn't her being uninformed about our imminent arrival. This was the child of an FBI agent allowing a stranger at her door to identify themselves instead of giving them a name to use."I'm Pamela Pile," my mentor answered. "This is Cáel Nyilas, my grandson. The gentleman to his left is my other grandson, Color Sergeant Chaz Tomorrow of the British military. To the left is Juanita Garza, my younger grandson's bodyguard   the one without a gun in his hand. The young lady in back is Odette Sievert, another one of your father's co-workers. The woman beside her is Sibeal Nyilas, Cáel's mother. Don't trust her   long story. A seventh member of our group is checking out your backyard. Her name is Wilma Draper.""You are heavily armed. Is my Da in trouble?""I want to talk to your father, if that is okay with you. I'll let Cáel answer your questions. He's our titular boss."'Thanks Pamela', I groaned inwardly.She was cute, exhausted and emotionally-vulnerable. Eager for answers and for someone to make sense of a world where her anchor   her father   had been nearly killed (not that his wounds had really been life-threatening). I hadn't had sex in over a day and that had only been a tension-breaker quickie with Odette.As we entered, it was obvious that Gretchen and her younger sister, Mariyah, had camped out in the front living room, catching some 'z's' on a recliner and a sofa with light blankets for covers. Mariyah was on the sofa, sitting up on her elbows and struggling to wake up.As Chaz shut the front door, Tabitha came down the stairs."Mr. Nyilas," she greeted me. Well, I was an infamous celebrity. I even had two Facebook pages (Nyilas Nailed Me! and Az  j Magyarorsz g kir lya (The New King of Hungary)) as well as four Instagram accounts devoted to me."Ms. Loire," I met her halfway and shook her hand."Call me Tabitha.""Call me Cabbage-Head," I grinned. That caught her off guard."Oh, kay, not what I expected." (I get that a lot) "We need to talk," she failed to stifle a grin."If you sleep with any of these girls, I will shoot you," Pamela warned me in Hittite."Excuse me?" Tabitha looked her way."Don't worry about it, Tabitha," Pamela gave her a congenial look. "I simply warned the boy that if he acted inappropriately, I would scar him.""Aren't you engaged?" she turned on me."Yes. Yes I am. Hana is a wonderful woman; beautiful, smart, with a big heart and a serious nature. Sadly for her, I'm a lousy human being, untrustworthy cad and perpetually prone to making bad decisions where women are concerned. Very bad decisions.""Miss, since my associate appears to be eminently capable of mangling the English language, let me help you clarify the situation: Cáel can't say 'no' where a woman is concerned. He can't even say, 'no, please don't hurt me', or 'no, not now. I'm talking to my date'.""Hi. I'm Odette. There are four sane people in this room and I'm one of them.""Says the woman who snuck aboard a transatlantic fight and hid in a place in the galley which you couldn't get out of," Pamela snorted."I got to go to Europe for free," she defiantly perked up. "Oh, and ladies," to the Lorie girls, "your father is a wonderful and brave male. (OK, too much time around the Amazons for her.) "He saved my life in Budapest.""He was in Budapest?" Gretchen."When?" Tabitha."Why?" Mariyah."We need to talk to Vincent  

Father Dave and Dcn. Bob discuss March Madness, Bob's mission trip to Belize, Fr. Dave's pilgrimage to Rwanda, and look ahead to this Sunday's Gospel about the Prodigal Son.  Tune in to find out if Bob actually went in—or at least near— the ocean!

Author Patsy C. Robertson about her debut novel, A Concoction of Lies. As an avid reader, Patsy was frustrated by the lack of representation of older people as main characters. In A Concoction of Lies, Patsy's characters range from their 40s to their 70s, and she places them in a thrilling, high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse. In this story, a former FBI cybersecurity specialist becomes a cybercriminal, hacking the bank account of a notorious Guatemalan cartel member. He is kidnapped, smuggled into Guatemala, and manages to escape to the Belize border. During his escape, he crosses paths with a plantation owner who battles addiction and has been recently taken advantage of by a charming conman. When their paths cross, their struggles and pasts catch up with them, further endangering them both.

In this episode Kyle Ruff and Matt Newland test their vast knowledge of the human female anatomy, proving why they are such skilled lovers and scientists. Topics also include Kyle's trip to Gillette Wyoming, tips for snorkeling in Belize, and more sentences that have never been said!

Today we talk about taking photos, free seating, workplace poop drama & more!Thanks as always to our sponsor GetaThreads.com! Use promo code “MHGC25” for 25% off!

According to Terence McKenna, if you don't have a plan, you become part of someone else's plan. Getting residency, or even a second passport, allows for an escape route should things get dangerous in the home country. Michael Cobb has been developing real estate in Central America for three decades and knows how to do things correctly when buying overseas. We explore the options available in Panama, Belize, and Nicaragua, including the amazing teak forest investments that produce huge returns plus residency. The Octopus of Global Control Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3xu0rMm Hypocrazy Audiobook: https://amzn.to/4aogwms Website: www.Macroaggressions.io Activist Post: www.activistpost.com Sponsors: Chemical Free Body: https://www.chemicalfreebody.com Promo Code: MACRO C60 Purple Power: https://c60purplepower.com/ Promo Code: MACRO Wise Wolf Gold & Silver: www.Macroaggressions.gold LegalShield: www.DontGetPushedAround.com EMP Shield: www.EMPShield.com Promo Code: MACRO ECI Development: https://info.ecidevelopment.com/-get-to-know-us/macro-aggressions Christian Yordanov's Health Transformation Program: www.LiveLongerFormula.com Privacy Academy: https://privacyacademy.com/step/privacy-action-plan-checkout-2/?ref=5620 Brain Supreme: www.BrainSupreme.co Promo Code: MACRO Above Phone: http://abovephone.com/?above=macro Promo Code: MACRO Van Man: www.VanMan.shop Promo Code: MACRO Activist Post: www.ActivistPost.com Natural Blaze: www.NaturalBlaze.com Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/macroaggressionspodcast

In this episode of The Articulate Fly, host Marvin Cash catches up with George Costa from TCO Fly Shop for the latest Central PA Fishing Report. Fresh from an exciting trip to Belize, George shares his adventures fishing for permit, tarpon, snook and bonefish. Back home, they discuss current fishing conditions on local waters, including the promising emergence of olives and the anticipated arrival of grannoms.George provides valuable insights into the state of the streams, with levels at seasonal averages and a focus on the upcoming cicada class on March 30th, perfect for anglers looking to refine their tying skills. With a lineup of beginner classes and specialty courses on the horizon, there's plenty of opportunity for anglers to enhance their skills as the season gets underway.Listeners are encouraged to reach out with questions, and George reminds everyone to visit the shop for all their fishing needs.For more information on classes and shop hours, check out TCO's website. Get ready for spring and make sure to hit the water. Tight lines!All Things Social MediaFollow TCO on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.Support the Show Shop on AmazonBecome a Patreon PatronSubscribe to the PodcastSubscribe to the podcast in the podcatcher of your choice.Advertise on the PodcastIs our community a good fit for your brand? Advertise with us.In the Industry and Need Help Getting Unstuck?Check out our consulting options!

  Jeff's Bagel Run sponsorship, including bagel flavors and custom cream cheese spreads (hot sauce cream cheese) Ordering via Jeff's Bagel Run app; also offers cookies and coffee Friday Free Show at Gatorland near Gator Lake with guest Savannah Savannah's social media popularity and frequent fan questions about Tom and Dan Moe Dewitt's VIP program at Gatorland, Dan's late arrival, and Christmas card photos Savannah's career shift after leaving radio; moved to Cocoa Beach for son's skateboarding, worked at Rusty's, surfed Unexpected passion for reptiles; childhood love for catching snakes and lizards Opportunity to join a snake and lizard TV show in California; spontaneous cross-country move Traveling to skate parks, hospitality from strangers, sleeping in the Jeep, pulled over by Texas State Troopers Flooded skate park in Mississippi; using a shotgun shell as a thimble to fix Jeep top Working at a reptile zoo in California; appeared on Conan O'Brien's show, where a snake defecated on Conan's desk Lack of female-led alligator/crocodile shows in media; pitching one without success Long effort to create a Gatorland-based show; struggles with industry gatekeeping Seven-year attempt to work at Gatorland; initial rejection, eventual surprise hiring Early struggles at Gatorland; coworkers refused to help, leading to solo content creation Transition from radio to YouTube; generational gap in media consumption Challenges in social media consistency, scheduling, and content planning Learning alligator safety; Savannah's son skeptical of her expertise Gatorland's 75-year history; Lamar the 13-14 foot alligator as a favorite Naming alligators after celebrities; Ryan Reynolds, Lightning, Metallica Alligator vs. crocodile behavior; social media clips of reckless interactions Gatorland rescues nuisance alligators from farms/hunting camps Savannah's international Gatorland work (Belize, Australia, Jamaica, Mexico, Cuba) Couch-surfing upon return from California to land Gatorland job Spontaneous Cuba trip to find crocodile scientists with no Spanish skills, relying on a bird watcher's help Running out of money, drinking unfiltered rainwater, bonding with locals Returning with Gatorland's team to support Cuban crocodile program, forming Gatorland Global nonprofit Gatorland spans 125 acres, housing 2,000+ alligators and crocodiles; ranked zip-line attraction Tom feeding an alligator for the first time; hesitation in throwing food Maisie's preference for pork; gators also preferring pork over chicken Introduction of aggressive gators disrupting feeding order; Gatorland's discipline method Alligator growth slowing with age but continuing for life Alligators can survive two years without eating; Gatorland provides a "bougie" life Feeding wild gators makes them nuisances, leading to relocation Gators recognize trainers and social hierarchy; some respond to commands, others don't Leucistic alligators at Gatorland, their rarity, and special care needs Jawlene, the rescued alligator missing her top jaw; viral rescue story Learning to eat despite injury; media attention making her more famous than theme park mascots Jawlene estimated to be five years old but small due to malnutrition Attempts to fit her with a prosthetic jaw; wouldn't be functional long-term Public perception of dangerous animals vs. cute ones in conservation efforts Shark vs. alligator fear; media's role in misrepresenting threats Savannah camping at Gatorland, almost dragged into water by a Nile crocodile Gatorland's train ride, swamp buggy, and exotic bird rescue Meeting Felix the donkey and Big Mike the cow Savannah's desire to live at Gatorland; favorite animal interactions Savannah's Fairvilla Megastore connection; Bill Murphy's mariachi party Goats in the petting zoo; joke about them eating beer cans Gatorland accommodating even the wildest animals rather than removing them Dan and Savannah's Taco Bell "Mexican Fiesta" tradition Tom jumping on a moving train like a hobo; conductor recognizing them but letting it slide Group reflecting on Gatorland's old-school Florida charm and fun atmosphere **Social Media:**   [Website](https://tomanddan.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/tomanddanlive) | [Facebook](https://facebook.com/amediocretime) | [Instagram](https://instagram.com/tomanddanlive) **Where to Find the Show:**   [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-mediocre-time/id334142682) | [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2FtZWRpb2NyZXRpbWUvcG9kY2FzdC54bWw) | [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Comedy/A-Mediocre-Time-p364156/) **The Tom & Dan Radio Show on Real Radio 104.1:**   [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-corporate-time/id975258990) | [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2Fjb3Jwb3JhdGV0aW1lL3BvZGNhc3QueG1s) | [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Comedy/A-Corporate-Time-p1038501/) **Exclusive Content:** [Join BDM](https://tomanddan.com/registration) **Merch:** [Shop Tom & Dan](https://tomanddan.myshopify.com/)

Should Christians care about the ecological crises that we face? Should climate change be a concern for believers? Many Christians still view their faith as primarily a “spiritual” matter that has little to do with the “physical” world in which they live. Our guest is Steven Bouma-Prediger, who contends that protecting and restoring our planet is an essential practice for Christians. Steve has studied the Bible and understands what it teaches about this earthly life. He has written extensively about how humans are called, in the words of Genesis 2:15, to “work and take care of” the world in which we live. He is troubled by how too few Christians see this as a crucial part of Christian discipleship.Scroll down to learn more about Dr. Steven Bouma-Prediger. Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app!Thanks for listening!Please share this podcast with your friends. Your hosts are Dr. Bob Robinson and David Loughney. Go to re-integrate.org for further resources on reintegrating all of life with God's mission. Steven Bouma-Prediger, Ph.D.Dr. Steven Bouma-Prediger is Professor of Religion at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where he has also served as the chairperson of the Department of Religion and as the associate dean for teaching and learning. He also oversees the Environmental Studies minor. In addition, Steve teaches in Belize and New Zealand for the Creation Care Study Program. His latest book is Creation Care Discipleship: Why Earthkeeping Is an Essential Christian Practice (from Baker Academic).Among his previous books are Earthkeeping and Character: Exploring a Christian Ecological Virtue Ethic and For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care, and (co-authored with Brian J. Walsh) Beyond Homelessness: Christian Faith in a Culture of Displacement.His books can be purchased from independent bookseller Byron Borger at Hearts & Minds Bookstore. Get full access to Bob Robinson's Substack at bobrobinsonre.substack.com/subscribe

A big family adventure may sound like a great idea, but the planning and perceived stress of family travel could feel overwhelming. Fortunately, there's a network of parents who have been there, done that, and keep going back for more. They have figured out how to make family adventure travel fun for everyone on board.Today, host Angie Orth welcomes Kevin Wagar, a professional photographer and blogger who has traveled the world, embarking on adventures near and far with his family. His blog, Wandering Wagars, provides helpful advice for planning family travel adventures, whether it's riding camels in Egypt or cave tubing in Belize.You'll hear what inspired his family travel blog as well as the most common misconceptions people have about going on the road with the whole family. He shares how he juggles the logistics of travel with the busy lives of his young kids. You'll also hear his perspectives on the importance of planning and seeking professional travel assistance to ensure the best experience for everyone. What You'll Learn:(3:30) The biggest misconceptions about family travel(6:13) How they start the planning process as a family(10:30) Managing travel logistics with young children(14:21) An experience that taught him about the kindness of humanity(22:25) Tips for stress-free travel with kidsConnect with Kevin Wagar:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanderingwagarsWebsite: https://wanderingwagars.comConnect with AAA:Book travel: https://aaa-text.co/travelingwithaaa LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aaa-auto-club-enterprisesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/AAAAutoClubEnterprisesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AAAAutoClubEnterprises

Join hosts AC Stauble and Isaac Hill as they welcome back special guest Pam Montgomery, a renowned herbalist, teacher, and author. Broadcasting from Belize, Pam shares her journey of connecting with new plants, especially coconut palms. The episode dives deep into the importance of co-creative partnerships with nature, the concept of plant initiations, and how we can heal our separation from nature. Pam also discusses her new book, 'Co-Creating with Nature: Healing the Wound of Separation' and the profound transformations she's witnessed in her students through plant initiations. Don't miss inspiring stories that challenge the colonial mindset and pave the way for a harmonious relationship with the natural world.Find Pam at Home - Wake up to NatureAlso, if you'd like to book a Vedic astrology reading with Isaac, email him at info at plantcunning dot com00:00 Introduction to the Plant Cunning Podcast00:31 Welcoming Pam Montgomery01:16 Pam's Experience in Belize02:24 Discovering the Wonders of Palm Trees05:11 The Generosity of Coconut Palms09:55 Pam's New Book: Co-Creating with Nature10:44 The Separation from Nature25:37 Decolonizing the Mind and Heart32:58 Taking Action: Co-Creative Partnership with Nature36:22 Beach Cleanup and Seaweed Uses37:57 Introduction to Plant Initiations38:19 The Process of Plant Initiations39:53 The Role of Elders and Modern Challenges41:24 Plants as Modern Elders42:06 Personal and Collective Healing43:14 Choosing the Right Plant for Initiation48:57 Stories of Transformation01:00:36 Course Offerings and Final Thoughts

Today's Witness is from a friend of mine named Ed. Ed is a part of my prayer group and a student at Encounter School of Ministry Boston. The same program I graduated from last May. Ed went to Belize on a mission trip with the Encounter School. There were 37 of them that went to Belize. They went out on the streets to pray for those who wanted it. Ed talks about the amazing experience it was and some of the miracles they saw! I will let him explain. We have all seen God working in our lives. However, we might not all be aware it is God working in our lives.  This is why it is so important we start talking about it more.  The more we share our experiences, the more people understand how God works and how much He truly loves us.  If you would be willing to share any experience of how God has worked or is working in your life, please email me at catherine@findingtruenorthcoaching.com or click here.  It won't take up much of your time, and your story could be just the story that someone needs to hear today.  Prayerfully consider sharing.  Everyone has a story, and the world needs to hear them. Music:"Adding the Sun"fine us. It is not fun, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/www.findingtruenorthcoaching.com CLICK HERE TO DONATE CLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring  CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emails CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily life CLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

This week, we're keeping the sporting streak going! After our brilliant chat with Gabby Logan last Friday, we're revisiting another top-tier sports presenter, someone who's covered just about every sport you can think of and always does it with charm, wit, and a cool head under pressure. It's the wonderful Craig Doyle!Craig has a story for every occasion, and in this episode he shares some of the wildest moments of his career — from barking orders at Diego Maradona during Soccer Aid to an unforgettable, boozy night out with Cameron Diaz in Belize! But it's not all glamour; he also opens up about the failures that have paved his path to success and the lessons he's learned along the way.For all the latest news, click here to follow us on Instagram!***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonefishing is one of the most thrilling saltwater experiences an angler can have, and planning a DIY trip adds an extra layer of challenge and reward. Whether you're heading to the Bahamas, Belize, or Mexico, a self-guided flats fishing adventure requires careful planning and a strategic approach. In this guide, based on insights from seasoned DIY angler Ross Kessler, we'll cover everything you need to know to execute a successful DIY bonefish trip—from planning and tides to gear and tactics. For many anglers, DIY bonefishing is the ultimate test of skill and preparation. Instead of relying on a guide, you take full responsibility for finding fish, choosing the right fly, and executing the perfect cast. It's an adventure that requires patience, observation, and a bit of trial and error. Show notes: In this episode of the Saltwater Edge podcast, host Peter Jenkins talks with Ross Kessler, a seasoned DIY bonefish angler with about 20 years of experience. They discuss various tackle tactics, key observations, and best practices for DIY inshore fishing trips, diving deep into fisheries management, conservation, and specific destinations. Ross shares invaluable tips on trip planning, including the importance of tides, preparation, logistics, gear, and the significance of short-game casting, among other insights. They also touch on the role and benefits of hiring local guides to enhance the fishing experience. The episode is packed with practical advice for passionate anglers looking to embark on their own DIY fishing adventures. 00:00 Introduction to the Saltwater Edge Podcast 00:35 Guest Introduction: Ross Kessler 01:06 The Appeal of DIY Fishing 02:50 Planning Your DIY Fishing Trip 05:18 Tides and Timing 10:57 Packing and Preparation 14:24 Navigating and Accessing Fishing Spots 26:30 Essential Gear for Solo Fishing 26:45 Staying Hydrated and Cool 28:37 Clothing and Sun Protection 29:10 Fishing Gear Essentials 31:23 Fly Selection and Techniques 33:49 The Importance of Local Guides 36:24 Casting Techniques and Tips 42:39 Fly Recommendations for DIY Trips 49:31 Conservation and Ethical Fishing 51:13 Final Thoughts and Farewell

If our names sound familiar, we were former hosts of the INSIDE THE LINE: Real Stories by Real Cops Podcast. I have placed this podcast under Real Stories by Real Cops to see if we can get our past listeners to come on over to The Wheel of Misfortune Podcast. Or, should we just continue on with the Real Stories by Real Cops Podcast. Let us know...ThanksEvery week join former Marine and retired crime analyst and police officer Dale Lawrence and co-host Dave Rattigan, a former newspaper reporter and currently a college professor/comedian for dark humor and current events. Together, they spin the Wheel of Misfortune. Where will it land? On an unusual, ironic, and sometimes tragic story from the wide, wide world of zaniness and depravity.Have you ever wondered how you might meet your demise when the Wheel of Misfortune lands on you? Will it be a sudden medical issue, an out of the blue accident, something by your own choosing, or worse, murder?In this week's podcast we will look at three vastly different 'Faces of Death'. First, we will look at how three young and innocent friends from Massachusetts may have died while on vacation in Belize. Second, did famed actor Gene Hackman die of old age or was it something more sinister. Lastly, who would have wanted a beloved California Fire Captain dead?To find out, tune in to this week's episode and listen to how Dale and Dave breakdown the ‘Faces of Death'.

Looking to start some global birding or natural history travel, but have a limited budget, and not sure where to go first? This episode is for you! Ken and Charley give a global, continent-by-continent overview of what they consider the best destinations for the first-time budget traveller. CORRECTION: Ken stated that Costa Rica is likely the most English-speaking Neotropical country, but while editing the podcast realized that Belize and Guyana are definitely more Anglophone than CR. Banded Broadbill recording courtesy of Peter Boesman, XC290609. Accessible at https://xeno-canto.org/290609. License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Please check out the website of our sponsor Tropical Birding: https://www.tropicalbirding.com/If you wish to support this podcast, please visit our Patreon page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/naturallyadventurous?fan_landing=true⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Feel free to contact us at: cfchesse@gmail.com &/or ken.behrens@gmail.com Naturally Adventurous Podcast Nature - Travel - Adventure

Tune in here to the Friday edition of the Brett Winterble Show! Pete Kaliner joins Brett for the Friday Hangover and a discussion about the left's continuing whining. Brett asks what do you want from your government? Brett listens in on the president's speech to the Justice Department where the president talks about restoring the department to do what it is supposed to do and not be weaponized. Later in the show, Brett talks about he hates the weather and would love to move somewhere that has more constant weather like perhaps Belize. This eveolves into a discussion about sand fleas.Finally Brett talks about the parallels between what the Polk administration did and the current administration. Listen here for all of this and more on The Brett Winterble Show! For more from Brett Winterble check out his YouTube channel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Topics: Triggers, PTSD, Divorce, Mother Issues, Grief Hosts: Brian Perez, Becky Brown, Dr. Jacqui Mack-Harris Caller Questions & More: Becky defines what triggers are and three tactics to cope with them.  I promised myself I'd never get a divorce, but my husband is a veteran with PTSD who is living in Belize and can't handle conflict.  As a child, I was The post New Life Live: March 12, 2025 appeared first on New Life.

Fr. Dave and Dcn. Bob discuss their upcoming mission trips to Belize and Rwanda, reflecting on the impact of missions on students and communities. They delve into a light-hearted critique of the worst sports teams to cheer on as a fan, recounting frustrating fan experiences. They pay tribute to the late actor Gene Hackman and reflect on President Trump's recent speech and the challenges of bipartisan politics. They close They That Hope with the Transfiguration Gospel reading, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the glory of the Lord in daily life.

In this episode of the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast, LA Williams takes listeners on a dynamic exploration of Dealer Synergy's innovative outsourced BDC operations situated in Belize!  "Sales is not a one-size-fits-all type of thing... The more creative you can get, the more sales you can do." - LA Williams Recorded LIVE, Williams spells out the operational efficiencies and strategic advantages of leveraging an international call center—pointing out cost savings, quality customer service delivery, and the critical training methodologies that contribute to enhanced dealership success. "Geography does not have to be a challenge anymore. We can employ folks from anywhere in the world!" - LA Williams LA offers a behind-the-scenes insight into how a 2,000-person call center functions, proving that geographic distance does not impede quality customer service or dealership results. Utilizing a Belize-based team trained with Dealer Synergy's advanced methodologies, sales operations are not only streamlined but amplified. By demolishing traditional sales models, Williams articulates how automotive dealerships can thrive by adapting to globalized business strategies, therefore keeping showrooms thriving and customer satisfaction at its peak!   Key Takeaways: ✅ Cost Efficiency and Scalability: Outsourcing BDCs to regions like Belize significantly reduces overhead costs versus U.S.-based operations, making it economically advantageous for dealers to expand their reach. ✅ Training and Quality Assurance: Dealer Synergy's comprehensive training ensures that agents, regardless of location, provide professional, high-quality customer service that matches or surpasses in-house teams. ✅ Technological Integration and Flexibility: Utilizing platforms like Zoom for meetings and sales allows sales teams to operate seamlessly from anywhere, thus expanding the scope and efficiency of dealerships. ✅ Cultural Adaptability: Belize's predominantly English-speaking population allows for seamless communication with the U.S. market, dispelling concerns over language barriers. ✅ Future of Automotive Sales: Innovative practices are setting a new standard for the industry's future, emphasizing the importance of a global operational perspective and advanced technological integration for sustained success.     About LA Williams LA Williams is the Vice President of Dealer Synergy. He has 15+ years of automotive sales experience and has made it his mission to help, educate and level up anyone he comes in contact with. LA once started as a frontline analyst for the organization, but quickly worked his way through the ranks to most recently landing him his current role of Vice President and an official company partner. Although LA holds an executive position with Dealer Synergy, he is completely “hands-on” with the Dealer Synergy family of programs. LA is the preeminent subject master on “Phone Sales” in the Automotive Sales Industry and has earned the nickname and title of “The Blind Phone Master”. LA has been blind for 35+ years and has focused his energy on the art of sound, tone, and inflection. With his inability to see and only hear, he can solely judge a person's phone abilities and verbal tools based on what they say and how they say it. This makes him the perfect coach and phone sales expert on planet Earth. LA has trained thousands of Automotive Sales professionals, Internet / BDC professionals, Sales Managers, General Managers and Dealer Principals on how to dominate the phones with his “The Blind Phone Master's Phone Sales Mastery” strategies. Furthermore, LA is an NADA Convention Speaker and a frequent 20 group speaker, including the official Internet Sales 20 Group . In addition to his training and speaking engagements, LA is the official co-host of the globally known Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast and a moderator of the Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group.  LA is also a very successful music producer. He has produced tracks for Dr. Dre, Lil Wayne, Katy Perry, Karina Bradley, and scores more. In addition to having worked with some of the best in the music industry, LA has worked in movies. He was even the voice for Jigsaw in 4 of the SAW movies! LA has taken his music producer, audio, and voice talent to bring a strong form of “entertrainment” to the industry and has blessed us with many motivating and fun remix tracks, applicable to the automotive sales industry.     Exploring the Future of Automotive Business Development Centers: Insights from the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast Engage Automotive Success with Global Collaboration Understanding the potential of global call centers for automotive dealerships, optimizing skills across borders, and leveraging technology for enhanced business development are key factors in driving dealership profits. Dive into insights shared by LA Williams from the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast, as he explores these dynamics live from Belize. Key Takeaways: Leveraging global call centers can significantly enhance dealership efficiency while reducing costs. Developing advanced communication skills and empathy is crucial for success in sales. Utilizing technology like Zoom transforms remote selling into a profound customer experience. The Economic Edge of Global Call Centers In the realm of automotive sales, maximizing efficiency while minimizing costs is the golden ticket to success. During the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast, LA Williams, known as the Blind Phone Master, emphasized the cost-efficiency of operating global call centers, particularly in regions like Belize. He states, "When you think about it, the cost-effectiveness… to be real with you, like in California alone, I think the minimum wage is like $20 an hour… it's no longer productive to run a call center.” This essential strategy allows dealerships to harness top-tier talent at a fraction of the cost. Williams' discussion reflects a broader trend in leveraging international call centers to accommodate fluctuating economic landscapes, offering dealerships a way to stay competitive without compromising service quality. This strategy ensures that even smaller dealerships can compete on a larger scale, effectively leveling the playing field and turning the focus onto the quality of service provided rather than where it originates. Furthermore, the transcript reveals a nuanced understanding of the benefits of these call centers: “So we actually walking into the call center right now… When we got all these people making phone calls, it's going to allow you to be much more profitable.” This statement encapsulates how simply relocating a function can have profound business advantages, facilitating higher profits through reduced operational costs. Cultivating Communication and Empathy in Sales Beyond economics, success hinges on communication and empathy. Williams highlights the importance of having a team adept in these soft skills. Within the podcast, Williams reflects on his Belize-based team's aptitude: "People are just making phone calls… our team here, man, they stay in focus… they also pay so much attention in training." These insights underscore the need for a workforce that is both dedicated and well-trained in communication strategies. In sales, empathy and understanding are paramount, especially in overcoming objections or handling disgruntled customers. Here's how Williams advises on such encounters: "We teach them to be compassionate. We do role plays with them to walk them through those scenarios.” This training in empathy not only improves customer interaction but also builds a stronger connection with potential buyers who may otherwise feel dismissed or undervalued by traditional, automation-heavy methods. Such strategies illustrate the impact of prioritizing customer relations. By integrating empathy as a core selling principle, global call centers can match, or even exceed, the effectiveness of in-house sales staff. This shift allows any dealership, no matter its location, to provide premium customer service. Transforming the Sales Experience through Technology The advancements in technology have dramatically shifted how business is conducted, especially in the automotive industry. Williams touches on numerous ways technology, particularly platforms like Zoom, can elevate customer interactions. He shines light on this by saying, "A salesperson wanted to sell a car to someone… the customer could be anywhere. It doesn't matter. Geography is no longer a challenge." Breakout rooms in Zoom are one example of how technology can simulate traditional car-buying experiences virtually. This allows for a comprehensive customer journey, from viewing vehicle features to virtual test drives, all from the comfort of one's home. As Williams further elaborates: "We'll show some 3Ds, some good old camera footage… Make a person feel like they're actually in the vehicle." Such approaches not only broaden the potential customer base but also enrich the overall buying experience, diminishing geographical and temporal constraints. Utilizing these tools, dealerships can offer an enriched and personalized customer interaction, effectively adapting to the digital age. Adopting these technological enhancements represents more than just staying current; it indicates a forward-thinking, customer-centric mindset that is necessary for thriving in today's competitive market.   The intricacies of running a global operation from a strategic call center – as expounded upon in the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast – outline a new era for the automotive industry. By merging economic efficiency, interpersonal skills, and cutting-edge technology, dealerships are equipped to transcend traditional boundaries and deliver exceptional service worldwide. Every facet of this approach, from cost-effective practices to empathetic customer service, ultimately benefits dealerships by not only extending their reach but also deepening their impact. As described within this thought leadership, dealerships that embrace these strategies can redefine success and elevate their standing in the automotive market.     Resources: Podium: Discover how Podium's innovative AI technology can unlock unparalleled efficiency and drive your dealership's sales to new heights. Visit www.podium.com/mcs to learn more!   NCC: Credit-Driven Retailing - NCC delivers industry-best credit-driven retailing for auto dealerships, combining a powerful credit and compliance engine and fully integrated CRM/Desking platform for maximum profitability.   Complete CRM: Complete CRM is a streamlined, all-in-one system that simplifies your dealership software and processes so you can manage every aspect of your operation with ease; from tracking and following up on leads, desking deals, managing inventory, marketing to your customers, and more.   Dealer Synergy & Bradley On Demand: The automotive industry's #1 training, tracking, testing, and certification platform and consulting & accountability firm.   The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group: Join the #1 Mastermind Group in the Automotive Industry! With over 28,000 members, gain access to successful automotive mentors & managers, the best industry practices, & collaborate with automotive professionals from around the WORLD! Join The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group today!   Win the Game of Googleopoly: Unlocking the secret strategy of search engines.     The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast is Proudly Sponsored By: Podium: Elevating Dealership Excellence with Intelligent Customer Engagement Solutions. Unlock unparalleled efficiency and drive sales with Podium's innovative AI technology, featured proudly on the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast. Visit www.podium.com/mcs to learn more!   NCC: Powered by proprietary solutions such as Intelligent Credit Engine™ and LenderSelect™, NCC transforms the car-buying experience for dealers and their customers. From compliance and lender selection to CRM and desking, to marketing and data mining—NCC integrates them all in a single, seamless platform to deliver better customer experiences, maximum efficiency and maximum profit.   Complete CRM: As an innovative leader in the industry for the last 30 years, Complete CRM is designed to give your dealership the competitive edge in a demanding marketplace. Powered by Complete Credit™ and award-winning desking, Complete CRM™ is the industry's only credit and compliance-enabled CRM that lets dealers achieve maximum profitability on every deal. Built on modern technology, Complete CRM seamlessly integrates credit, compliance, inventory, data mining, lead generation, enterprise functionality, and customized reporting in one tool with a single login.   Dealer Synergy: The #1 Automotive Sales Training, Consulting, and Accountability Firm in the industry! With over two decades of experience in building Internet Departments and BDCs, we have developed the most effective automotive Internet Sales, BDC, and CRM solutions. Our expertise in creating phone scripts, rebuttals, CRM action plans, strategies, and templates ensures that your dealership's tools and personnel reach their full potential.   Bradley On Demand: The automotive sales industry's top Interactive Training, Tracking, Testing, and Certification Platform. Featuring LIVE Classes and over 9,000 training modules, our platform equips your dealership with everything needed to sell more cars, more often, and more profitably!

Send us a textDiscover the transformative world of Central American prisons with Dr. Jarrod Sadulski, whose journey from the Coast Guard to criminology and federal law enforcement has led him to the heart of prison reform in Belize. As we navigate through his insights, you'll uncover the stark realities and surprising successes within the Belize Central Prison, a place where innovation in rehabilitation starkly contrasts with the turmoil often seen in neighboring countries' facilities. This episode promises an eye-opening look at how effective management and minimal resources are reshaping the lives of inmates through coexistence and self-sustainability.Travel inside the Belize Central Prison, where harsh conditions meet groundbreaking rehabilitation efforts. From the Ashcroft Rehabilitation Program to the management strategies that emphasize peaceful coexistence among gang members, we explore the unique approaches that have led to impressively low recidivism rates. Despite the limited budget of just $9 per day per inmate, the focus on life skills and trade training is remarkable. Listen as Dr. Sadulski shares his firsthand experience of witnessing inmates working freely with machetes, challenging perceptions of prison life and offering a new perspective on the potential for redemption and reintegration.Contact Dr. Jared Sadulski jarrod@sadulski.comLinkedIn - Dr. Jarrod SadulskiBelize prison articles by Dr. Sadulski:https://amuedge.com/belize-prisons-rehabilitation-programs-raise-morale-lower-recidivism/ https://amuedge.com/belize-central-a-model-for-central-american-prisons/Netflix documentary:Inside the World's Toughest Prison: Season 2, Episode 4 Belize: The Prison That Found God Inside the World's Toughest Prison Season 1, Episode 1: Danli Prison, Honduras PepperBallFrom crowd control to cell extractions, the PepperBall system is the safe, non-lethal option.OMNIOMNI is cutting-edge software designed to track inmates and assets within your prison or jail. Command PresenceBringing prisons and jails the training they deserve!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showContact us: mike@theprisonofficer.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePrisonOfficerTake care of each other and Be Safe behind those walls and fences!

In this episode of The Articulate Fly, host Marvin Cash is back with George Costa from TCO Fly Shop in State College for a detailed Central PA Fishing Report. As George gears up for an exciting trip to Belize, he shares insights on the current fishing conditions in Central Pennsylvania, noting the recent rain and its impact on local streams. With expectations of improving conditions by the weekend, he highlights the anticipation of warmer weather that will kickstart the spring hatches, including olives, midges and little black stoneflies.The conversation also touches on the upcoming emergence of the 17-year cicadas, expected to peak in mid-June, promising a thrilling dry fly season for anglers. George discusses various educational opportunities available at the shop, including a cicada tying class on March 30th and several beginner courses throughout the spring. He encourages listeners to book their spots quickly, as classes tend to fill up fast.Listeners are also reminded to send in their questions for a chance to win some Articulate Fly swag. This episode is packed with valuable information for anglers looking to enhance their spring fishing experience.All Things Social MediaFollow TCO on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.Support the Show Shop on AmazonBecome a Patreon PatronSubscribe to the PodcastSubscribe to the podcast in the podcatcher of your choice.Advertise on the PodcastIs our community a good fit for your brand? Advertise with us.In the Industry and Need Help Getting Unstuck?Check out our consulting options!

JFK's 30-year gay love affair, Matthew Perry's 27 Ketamine shots, RIP Michelle Trachtenberg, drunk mayor on Cop Cam, Monica Lewinsky on attack, Liam Payne's toxicology report, and Gen Z investing tips. Trudi makes the headlines for leaving WLLZ. Drew wants everyone to know he made the headline too. John F Kennedy is now JF-Gay as his 30-year gay love affair come to light. Monica Lewinsky popped-off on Call Her Daddy about her ex-lover Bill Clinton. Gen Z investment strategies includes a bunch of crypto. Matthew Perry LOVED ketamine. Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy is coming to Peacock. Liam Payne had a BAC of .27% when he died. Luigi Mangione is SO HOT in prison he's getting non-stop pictures and fan mail. Jake Tapper wrote a book about Joe Biden's mental decline. Tulsi Gabbard blowing perverts out. Kaoutar Naqqad, Imane Mallah, and Wafae El-Arar mysteriously died while on vacation in Belize. Donald Trump is selling his watches on radio. He's also wants to sell citizenship for rich foreigners. He's also selling DOGE merch. Trump and 60 Minutes are looking to settle a suit. Vanna White won't go away from “The Wheel”. Cop Cams: An Illinois Mayor goes down. The Carson Beck cop cam footage has been released. Kate Hudson got BOMBED and her boyfriend looks bored of it all. She also has a hell of a Team Photo. RIP Michelle Trachtenberg and he new liver. Marc's Vacation Highlight: Michael Jackson. More Cop Cams: An really ANGRY drunk wife gets escorted off an airplane. Jeff Bezos has people up in arms as he cancels the opinion section of the Washington Post. Don't check your wife's PornHub searches. Kanye West wants nothing to do the Bhad Bhabie/Alabama Barker feud. Billy McFarland has 1 artist confirmed for Fyre Festival 2, but he won't reveal their name. If you'd like to help support the show… consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (The Drew Lane Show, Marc Fellhauer, Trudi Daniels, Jim Bentley and BranDon).